The San Miguel Beermen showed their lethal form by clawing their way back from 23 down to upend TNT Katropa, 121-110, to move a win away from the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals, Monday at SMART Araneta Coliseum.
With opposing import Joshua Smith fouled out, the conference defending champions uncorked 19 straight points from a 103-106 deficit past the midway mark of the final quarter to put their long-time rivals away for good.
Renaldo Balkman led San Miguel’s charge with 36 points on top of 14 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks. June Mar Fajardo made 27 points and 13 rebounds, while Marcio Lassiter had 26 points, six boards, and four dimes.
“That game was really scary, ano,” admitted Beermen head coach Leo Austria. “We never thought na makaka-balik pa kami from that big deficit, and then makikita natin na ang outside shooting nila was very sharp.”
The Katropa were totally feeling it from beyond the arc, so much so that they had already amassed 40 points in the opening frame. They had a 62-48 lead at the break, thanks to the 10 three-pointers they shot in the first half alone.
This, even if they lost Jericho Cruz in the first quarter due to an apparent hand injury. Cruz, who played a role in TNT’s 10-0 start, only played for over six minutes and left the game with just five points and two assists.
But then San Miguel fought back in the second half. From a 66-80 deficit, the Beermen found their groove and went on a 20-6 blitzkrieg – ended by an Arwind Santos lay-up – to tie the game at 86-all approaching the end of the third.
TNT were in damage control mode in the fourth quarter. With Kelly Williams, Terrence Romeo, and Tony Semerad contributing on offense, the Katropa were able to post a 98-92 cushion with 9:11 on the clock.
But the Beermen were just too tough to crack. They gave TNT a series of haymakers, until they got their first-ever taste of the lead, 100-99, after Balkman’s pair of shots from the charity stripe went in with 7:08 to go.
TNT couldn’t recover after San Miguel got into their element. They failed to protect their 106-103 lead, and Smith’s departure with 3:39 left only allowed the Beermen to break away en route to the 1-0 series lead.
“I have to give credit to my players, naka-focus pa rin sila, ang composure nila andoon and hindi sila nag-give up,” lauded Austria. “Maybe because of the experience of this team, alam nila how to get back from that kind of deficit.”
Smith and RR Pogoy led TNT with 17 points apiece. Pogoy left the match with 2:14 left, as he apparently sprained his right ankle after a chase for the rebound. The sophomore’s status for the next game is now uncertain.
Williams had 16 points and five rebounds, Romeo chipped in 13, and Semerad provided 11 points. Jayson Castro nearly had a triple-double as he supplied 10 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds.
San Miguel will look to finish off TNT in Game 2 on Wednesday, 7:00 PM, still at the Big Dome.
The Scores:
San Miguel 121 – Balkman 36, Fajardo 27, Lassiter 26, Santos 10, Ross 9, Cabagnot 6, Ganuelas-Rosser 4, Nabong 3, Heruela 0, Vigil 0
TNT 110 – Pogoy 17, Smith 17, Williams 16, Romeo 13, Semerad 11, Castro 10, Trollano 10, Rosario 9, Cruz 5, Taha 2, Golla 0, Garcia 0, Paredes 0, Carey 0, Reyes 0 Tamsi 0
Quarterscores: 21-40, 48-62, 86-88, 121-110
