San Miguel brought itself back to the top-spot discussions in Group A of the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup eliminations following a 135-105 blasting of the also-ran Terrafirma at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Wanting to get rid of the bitter taste left by their humiliating beatdown to TNT the last time out, the Beermen broke the game wide open in the third quarter en route to a bounce-back crucial for their standing.
Currently at second in the pool, SMB improved to 8-3, and could be battling NLEX for the No. 1 placing. The Road Warriors are toting an 8-2 card at the present and are also set to see action later tonight versus Titan Ultra.
(C) PBA Images
“We wanted to bounce back from our loss in the last game,” head coach Leo Austria offered. “And this game is really important for us to maintain our position in the top two … And we have a chance to get into the No. 1 spot.”
George King top-scored for the traditional contenders with 44 points alongside five rebounds and five assists. He led the aforementioned pullaway by hitting back-to-back fours for the 76-54 lead that took the fight out of their foes.
June Mar Fajardo notched 25 points and 12 rebounds, which he collected within just the first three quarters for his best game in this conference so far.
The league’s only nine-time MVP has also moved five points away from becoming the latest member of the PBA’s 10,000 career points club.
“Gusto ko sana siyang ibalik in the fourth quarter … But he refused to do that because he wants his teammates to play,” said Austria. “That’s the good thing about a great player like him. He’s thinking of his teammates.”
CJ Perez supplied 22 points on top of five rebounds and three assists plus a steal. Don Trollano chipped in 13 markers off the bench for San Miguel, which will now turn its focus on NLEX in their October 21 meeting in Antipolo.
“We have to work hard and play to win because it could give us a lot of confidence if we beat NLEX. Because for me, they are the top contender eh,” Austria said. “We have to set the mentality of the players into playoff mode.
“Because you cannot lose terribly in the quarterfinals because you will be having a long break before the next season. Imagine, that’s at least four months. That’s why I have to remind them that we have to compete until December 30.”
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Justin Strings finished with 28 points and nine rebounds to lead the Dyip, who fell to 4-7 after absorbing a third loss in their last four outings.
Maverick Ahanmisi made 23 points, six rebounds, and nine assists. Shawn Umali and Juami Tiongson added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Terrafirma will look to finish its season strongly versus the Giant Risers in a clash of eliminated teams this Saturday, October 17, also at the Ynares Center.
The Scores:
San Miguel 135 – King 44, Fajardo 25, Perez 22, Trollano 13, Lassiter 8, Teng 7, Cruz 5, Hernandez 5, Calma 4, Cahilig 2, Ross 0, Tautuaa 0, Brondial 0, Mantua 0.
Terrafirma 105 – Strings 28, Ahanmisi 23, Umali 12, Tiongson 10, Chiu 8, Bravo 5, Adamos 5, Miller 4, Eriobu 2, Paraiso 2, Mariano 2, Zaldivar 2, Hanapi 2, Garcia 0, Catapusan 0.
Quarterscores: 28-27, 64-47, 105-80, 135-105.
