ANTIPOLO — San Miguel leaned on a massive third-quarter explosion to send TNT skidding by way of a 110-95 victory and stretch its winning streak to six in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center here, Friday night.
The Beermen unloaded 39 points in the period while limiting their long-time nemesis to just 14, turning a narrow halftime deficit into an 82-61 lead entering the fourth, which they’d never relinquish en route to beating their foes anew.
It was their first meeting since last season’s all-Filipino Finals, and the outcome was just as similar, with Coach Leo Austria and his charges clinching a quarterfinal berth this time as they improved to 6-2 in the standings.
They have also created a four-way logjam at the no. 1 spot together with NLEX, Rain or Shine, and Converge, which beat Magnolia earlier in the night.
(C) PBA Images
“We actually had a good start, getting an early double-digit lead. But then, nag-relax kami and suddenly, umabante ang TNT by 14 points. Thankfully, we realized we have to fight back,” offered the champion mentor.
“We allowed them to take shots from the perimeter [during their run]. That gave us a problem. Then we realized we have to play defense. We took away their perimeter shots, and we got the win,” added Austria.
CJ Perez starred in the win with a third career-best 33 points, including 17 in the third quarter alone. He shot an efficient 11-of-17 clip from the floor, and also chalked up two rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 22 minutes.
“I’m just doing my best every game–101 percent para makuha ang ganitong laro,” said the former scoring champ, who did all that in just three quarters.
June Mar Fajardo notched a double-double of 13 points and 17 rebounds. Don Trollano made 12 points while Jericho Cruz and Jeron Teng added 11 and 10, respectively, as a total of five players finished in double figures.
(C) PBA Images
Jordan Heading, on the other hand, led the Tropang 5G with 18 points in the loss, their second in a row after bowing to Rain or Shine last November 15.
Calvin Oftana backed him up with 16 points while Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser chipped in 11 points for a TNT side that played without Roger Pogoy.
Both sides will go back into action on December 13 here, with the Tropa opening up the double-header affair versus the Road Warriors at 5:15 p.m. before San Miguel takes the floor at 7:30 opposite Blackwater.
The Scores:
San Miguel 110 – Perez 33, Fajardo 13, Trollano 12, Cruz 11, Teng 10, Rosales 8, Brondial 7, Calma 6, Lassiter 4, Mantua 3, Tiongson 2, Tautuaa 1, Ross 0, Miller 0, Cahilig 0.
TNT 95 – Heading 18, Oftana 16, Ganuelas-Rosser 11, Galinato 9, Ferrer 7, Nambatac 6, Aurin 6, Khobuntin 5, Jalalon 5, Enciso 5, Nieto 4, Williams 3, Erram 0, Hill 0.
Quarterscores: 23-20, 43-47, 82-61, 110-95.
