By REYNALD MAGALLON
San Miguel pulled away in the fourth quarter and slammed the playoff door on Blackwater with a 124-109 victory to move on the verge of an elimination sweep in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City on Wednesday, May 1.
The Beermen broke the floodgates behind a quick 10-0 spurt to open the final frame and establish a sizable advantage they managed to protect until the final buzzer and give a winning celebration to former SMB star Arwind Santos’ jersey retirement.
Even with an already assured top seat in the quarterfinals, SMB showed little letup as it improved to a perfect 10-0 record, putting them one win away from completing a rare sweep of its elimination schedule – a feat that hasn’t been done in the PBA in the past decade.
CJ Perez and June Mar Fajardo continued to provide big numbers for SMB but it was Don Trollano who took the spotlight with a splendid showing of 25 points – 15 of which he poured in the pivotal fourth quarter run for the Beermen.
He also fired six triples including one that allowed SMB to build its biggest lead at 24, 112-88, midway through the fourth.
Perez had 26 points, five rebounds, and five assists while Fajardo added a double-double of 21 points and 16 rebounds. Jericho Cruz added 14 points while Terrence Romeo also chipped in 12.
Marcio Lassiter remained on pace for his hunt for the all-time three-point list top spot after burying three triples to finish with 11.
Meantime, Converge made sure to have a graceful exit to the season, pulling the rug from under playoff-chasing TNT, 107-103.
With main guns Alec Stockton and Justin Arana saddled by foul trouble, the FiberXers’ shock-troopers in the likes of Patrick Maagdenberg, Aljun Melecio, King Carilipio and Schonny Winston all picked up the slack and delivered to take down the Tropang Giga.
Converge still finished dead last with a 2-9 record although the winning end to the tumultuous season should be enough confidence-booster for the team heading into the next year.
TNT, on the other hand, was dealt a major blow to its playoff aspirations, falling into a 5-5 record now in a four-way tie with Rain or Shine, Terrafirma and Meralco for sixth to ninth spots.
Melecio led the way in scoring for Converge with 17 points off the bench including a highlight of three triples in a row to give his team a 83-73 lead late in the third frame.
Maagdenberg, then, followed suit and anchored a 12-0 run for Converge to suddenly establish a huge 16-point lead, 98-82, midway through the final frame.
Calvin Oftana and RR Pogoy carried the fight and towed TNT back within two, 103-105 in the waning second only to have the door shut on them by Winston, who coolly sank two pressure-packed free throws with 10 ticks left.
Maagdenberg finished with 12 points while Winston added 13 – a huge lift for Converge off the bench especially with Stockton only adding four after struggling to find his rhythm after his four fouls in the first half.
Arana finished with 15 points and eight rebounds, although sat out most of the final frame after picking up his fifth foul. Bryan Santos fired 15 points while Caralipio added 14 in a rare display of multiple double-digit scorers for Converge.
