ANTIPOLO – San Miguel got lucky in the end against TNT, 91-89, in a clash of PBA Philippine Cup contenders, Sunday night at the Ynares Center here.
The Beermen coughed up a 15-point second-quarter lead and witnessed the Tropang Giga get to within just a point in the dying seconds but their defense — and a bit of luck — ultimately allowed the crew to dodge disaster.
SMB did prevent Jayson Castro from getting a good look but he was able to find Brandon Ganuleas-Rosser open at the top of the key, although the sophomore forward missed the potential game-winning triple as time expired.
“It was our defense in the last 3 that made us win the game. Even if Rosser had that open shot, it was still challenged,” said head coach Jorge Gallent. “That’s what I always tell them, if we cannot score, we’ll just make it bawi on defense.
“That’s what they did. Chris Ross did a good job on Castro, and the big boy here did a great job plugging in on Kelly [Williams] because we knew that Jayson was also looking for that drop pass to Kelly,” added the veteran mentor.
June Mar Fajardo finished with 15 points and 17 rebounds to lead SMB in its second win in as many games to remain unblemished in the conference.
The trio of Marcio Lassiter, Jericho Cruz, and Don Trollano provided ample support to the seven-time MVP as they chipped in 12 points apiece.
San Miguel hopes to sustain its form after the All-Star and Lenten break when it faces Phoenix on March 31, Sunday, 3 p.m. at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Castro, meanwhile, led TNT with 20 points, four rebounds, and six assists in the loss that saw the team fall short of finishing the comeback from an 89-84 deficit.
Roger Pogoy made 15 points while Calvin Oftana and Kelly Williams supplied 14 points apiece. Kim Aurin added 10 points in the loss.
Williams actually had a chance to tie the ball game with 25.5 seconds to go but only managed to split his free throws, cutting the gap to just 90-89 instead.
The door, though, remained open for the Tropang Giga when Cruz went 1-of-2 from the line as well with 15.4 seconds left.
Ganuelas-Rosser had a good look but failed to capitalize on it as the buzzer sounded, and Coach Chot Reyes’ wards would go on to fall to 2-2.
TNT won’t return to action until April 5, when it faces Arvin Tolentino and NorthPort at the Big Dome as well. Game time is at 4:30.
The Scores:
San Miguel 91 – Fajardo 15, Lassiter 12, Trollano 12, Cruz 12, Romeo 9, Enciso 9, Perez 9, Ross 6, Teng 5, Tautuaa 2, Brondial 0.
TNT 89 – Castro 20, Pogoy 15, Oftana 14, K.Williams 14, Aurin 10, Heruela 4, Ganuelas-Rosser B. 4, Ebona 4, Khobuntin 2, Ponferrada 2, Reyes 0, Varilla 0, Montalbo 0, Ganuelas-Rosser M. 0.
Quarterscores: 25-23, 52-39, 72-70, 91-89.
