Hong Kong Eastern asserted its mastery of San Miguel following a hard-fought 99-91 overtime win in their PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup duel at the Philsports Arena in Pasig on Sunday night.
Glen Yang and Hayden Blankley starred in the 12-2 finishing kick as the guest team beat the Beermen for the second time in a row in only a span of days, in the process getting back on track in the mid-season conference.
Previously, Coach Mensur Bajramovic and company took down SMB by way of a 71-62 decision in their East Asia Super League encounter last Wednesday on their own stomping grounds at the Southorn Stadium in Wan Chai.
The Hong Kong A1 Division champions have taken solo third in the standings after improving their record to 6-2 while SMB fell to a 3-3 slate.
“It’s not easy to beat a team twice in a row especially San Miguel, which is a very good team,” said Bajramovic. “But we analyzed this game and they showed good reaction. We’ll have a Christmas break, and everybody’s happy.”
Yang top-scored for Eastern with 26 points, seven of which he made in OT. The heady playmaker also had four rebounds and four assists.
Chris McLaughlin made 18 points and 11 rebounds. Blankley had 15 points while Kobey Lam and Chan Siu Wing added 13 and 10, respectively.
Not only did Eastern beat San Miguel twice in five nights but it also spoiled the debut of Jabari Narcis, the team’s replacement for Torren Jones.
Narcis finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds although it was evident that he’s still adjusting as he shot 11-of-29 from the floor.
Still, the Beermen showed resolve despite working their way with the new import in tow, coming back from as much as 12 down by sending the game into OT after CJ Perez nailed a three to tie it at 87 with 1:24 left in regulation.
They even took the 89-87 lead behind June Mar Fajardo early in extra time but the crew misfired and committed turnovers, allowing HK to pull away.
“In overtime, my players found a special power inside and defensively also, we did well. And finally, we won,” said Bajramovic.
Fajardo finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds for SMB. CJ Perez made 18 points, six rebounds, and three assists against seven turnovers.
The Eastern-San Miguel trilogy will conclude on January 15 in another EASL encounter set at the Philsports Arena as well, with Coach Leo Austria’s charges, needless to say, looking to exact revenge after being foiled twice.
The scores:
Hong Kong Eastern 99 – Yang 26, McLaughlin 18, Blankley 15, Lam 13, Chan 10, Pok 6, Cao 5, Guinchard 3, Zhu 2, Cheung 1, Xu 0.
San Miguel 91 – Narcis 28, Fajardo 23, Perez 18, Lassiter 13, Rosales 3, Trollano 2, Tautuaa 2, Cruz 2, Ross 0, Tiongson 0, Brondial 0, Cahilig 0.
Quarters: 22-20, 51-41, 69-64, 98-87, 99-91 (OT).
