Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

Basketball

Reid-less SMB wards off Henton’s 45 to pull off thrilling win over Alaska


No import, no problem. The All-Filipino crew of the San Miguel Beermen pulled off a nail-biting 106-103 win over the Alaska Aces at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday evening.

June Mar Fajardo was in MVP form for this game in the absence of import AZ Reid, finishing the night with 37 points, on 12/17 shooting, 14 rebounds, and three blocked shots.

Contrary to reports earlier today that Reid had parted ways with the team, Coach Leo Austria clarified in the post-game that they still had the two-time best imports intact with the roster, but Reid had missed this win due to an injury.

“He’s in the lineup pero because of his achilles injury, we cannot force him to play. AZ helped us win the championship. We love him but we cannot force him to play.”

Despite the absence of their reinforcement, the depth of the Beermen proved to be sufficient against Alaska’s grit. The Aces were led by Ladontae Henton’s 45-point outing, but his effort came up short, including two misses down the stretch.

“We don’t have to rely on anyone. We have to rely as a team.” Austria added.

The Beermen erased an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter by going to Fajardo in the paint. As San Miguel were able to claw their way back, Alex Cabagnot fired two triples in the last two minutes to lift his team by three at 102-99.

Alaska prevented the Beermen from increasing the lead by tying the match twice. Free throws played a huge role for SMB, but Henton failed to convert two attempts for Alaska.

#ReadMore  Chris Banchero, Sonny Thoss key Alaska's escape of Blackwater

For Fajardo, he emphasized sticking to the game plan and trusting the team in situations like these, saying “Kailangan namin mag step up kasi wala nga si AZ. Pinakita namin character namin kasi alam naman namin na may tiwala kami sa isa’t-isa at sistema ni coach.”

San Miguel trooped to the free throw line for a 29/43 clip, 21 more attempts compared to Alaska’s 15/22 shooting. The Aces had more points on fastbreak at 19-4, but three more makes from beyond-the-arc by SMB spelled the difference in this close game.

SMB (5-2) look to get it going after a week, when they face the Meralco Bolts (5-3). On the other hand, Alaska (2-5) seek to avoid the cellar of the standings against Blackwater (1-6) on Sunday. Both games will be played still at the Big Dome.

The Scores:

San Miguel (106) – Fajardo 37, Cabagnot 17, Lassiter 12, Santos 11, Reyes 10, Ross 5, David 5, Arana 4, Tubid 3, De Ocampo 2, Semerad 0

Alaska (103) – Henton 45, Abueva 15, Casio 13, Jazul 11, Baclao 6, Banchero 5, Thoss 4, Hontiveros 3, Racal 1, Magat 0, Dela Rosa 0, Exciminiano 0, Menk 0

Quarterscores: 27-23, 51-46, 72-80, 106-103

Written By


You May Also Like

Basketball

Another edition of the Manila Clasico will take place on Christmas Day as the PBA on Monday unveiled the full 2024-25 Commissioner’s Cup schedule....

Basketball

San Miguel suffered its second consecutive loss in the 2024-25 East Asia Super League (EASL) season, falling to P.League+ club Taoyuan, 101-85, in a...

Basketball

June Mar Fajardo copped the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup Best Player of the Conference award at the expense of his good pal Japeth...

Basketball

Ginebra took a big step in its aspirations of regaining PBA Governors’ Cup glory as it marched on to the Finals after finishing off...

Basketball

ANTIPOLO – A cloud of uncertainty is floating above San Miguel after losing Jericho Cruz late in its eventual defeat to Barangay Ginebra in...

Basketball

ANTIPOLO – Scottie Thompson asserted himself early and that proved to be the spark Ginebra needed in thrashing San Miguel, 121-92, on Friday night...

Basketball

June Mar Fajardo and EJ Anosike led the third-quarter assault as San Miguel got back at Ginebra, 131-121, to send their PBA Governors’ Cup...

Basketball

Justin Brownlee starred yet again as Barangay Ginebra got back at San Miguel, 99-94, to take a 2-1 lead in their PBA Season 49...

Advertisement