San Miguel avoided getting swept by Barangay Ginebra by taking Game 3 of their PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup quarterfinal series through a 101-98 decision at the City of Dasmariñas Arena in Cavite on Tuesday night.
The Beermen needed some help from the heavens in the endgame after the Kings fought back from as much as 15 down and got to within a point multiple times, the last at 99-98 after RJ Abarrientos’ corner triple with 1:04 remaining.
Fortunately, their prayers were answered, with CJ Perez going 2-for-2 from the free-throw line with 17.4 seconds left to settle the eventual final count.
It wasn’t until the last possession that the entire SMB would breathe a huge sigh of relief, however, with Scottie Thompson missing a triple and Abarrientos failing to hit the mark from four-point distance as the final buzzer rang.
By living to fight another day, San Miguel can tie the best-of-5 series at two games apiece in Game 4 this Friday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
(C) PBA Images
“First of all, thank God for this win. We thought na we’ll have an early vacation,” offered head coach Leo Austria. “Hopefully, magkaroon ng Game Five.”
Import George King led the Beermen with 21 points, albeit on 22 shots, and 13 rebounds as he had a hand in keeping the opposition at bay in the fourth, with his second and last three pushing their lead to 97-90 with 3:40 to spare.
June Mar Fajardo had 18 points behind a perfect 7-for-7 clip from the field and 13 rebounds as the nine-time MVP helped put together their strong second-quarter showing in which they built a 52-37 lead with 1:40 to go.
He even knocked down a rare trifecta during the opening period to tie the game at 15 for his 31st career triple, per league stats chief Fidel Mangonon III.
Perez finished with 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists while Marcio Lassiter added 13 markers as the PBA’s all-time three-point leader finally hit a field goal after going a total of 0-for-12 in the first two games of the series.
“Everybody was on the same page,” Austria said of his wards. “And everybody understood each other. And that’s one thing. I’m so thankful dahil ang mga player ay talagang nag-respond. Alam nilang our back is against the wall.”
(C) PBA Images
Abarrientos led Ginebra with 21 points and six rebounds, with Isaac Go firing 17 on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor, including 3-of-5 from three, as the former Gilas Pilipinas teammates powered the Kings’ second-half assault.
Jordan Murphy was held to 17 points after averaging 31.0 points in the first two games, but still collected 17 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks.
Scottie Thompson, despite shooting 5-of-15 from the field and 2-of-6 from the charity stripe, finished with 14 points, on top of seven rebounds and eight assists plus three steals. Jeremiah Gray added 13 points in the defeat.
The Scores:
San Miguel 101 – King 21, Fajardo 18, Perez 14, Lassiter 13, Trollano 8, Ahanmisi 8, Ross 7, Cruz 7, Bronidal 3, Teng 2, Tautuaa 0.
Barangay Ginebra 98 – Abarrientos 21, Murphy 17, Go 17, Thompson 14, Gray 13, J.Aguilar 7, Rosario 6, Holt 3, Cu 0.
Quarterscores: 23-18, 54-46, 79-74, 101-98.
