Arwind Santos and the Beermen did not want to register a loss in front of June Mar Fajardo’s compatriots
San Miguel Beermen gutted it out against the Globalport Batang Pier, ekeing out a 106-100 in today’s offering of the Petron Saturday Special held at the Hoops Dome in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.
The victory solidified San Miguel’s hold of the top seed with a 9-1 slate. Globalport, meanwhile, missed yet another playoff clincher as they dropped to 5-4, creating a five-way tie with Ginebra, Phoenix, Rain or Shine, and TNT at the fourth spot of the standings.
“Well ito yung kabilin-bilinan ng boss namin na si RSA [Ramon Ang] na ‘whatever happens, we have to play according to our will. We want to compete, and we wanted to win. And that’s what happened,” said SMB head coach Leo Austria.
Two-time league MVP Arwind Santos had yet another monster outing, pacing the Beermen with 31 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field, 5-of-9 of it coming from beyond the arc. He also had ten boards en route to a double-double.
Homecoming star June Mar Fajardo, who played his first official game as a pro in Cebu tonight, also had a double-double of 19 points by going 6-of-9 and 15 rebounds, 11 of those coming from the offensive side.
Marcio Lassiter also made his presence felt with 22 markers of his. Backcourt teammate Chris Ross, despite scoring just two points, filled the stat sheet with five rebounds, nine assists, three steals, and two blocks.
Trailing by just a field goal, 85-83, in the 9:36 mark of the final period, San Miguel then scorched hot on offense by unloading a 12-4 scoring spree behind baskets from Lassiter, Santos, and Fajardo to establish a six-point gap, 95-89, with 4:22 left.
The Batang Pier fought back with a 6-2 rally of their own anchored by Stanley Pringle to close by just a basket, 97-95. But they could not get any closer, allowing San Miguel to score five straight capped by a Santos lay-up to widen the gap, 102-95, with 55.2 seconds to go.
Terrence Romeo nailed five straight points to keep Globalport at par with San Miguel, 104-100, with 10.6 ticks left, but that proved to be their last surge as Fajardo nailed both of his charities with 1.6 seconds remaining to seal the six-point victory.
“I’m very proud of this team because they played hard. They played as a team. Makikita mo na naglalaro sila na talagang yung camaraderie nila nandoon na,” added Austria.
Five Batang Pier scored in double-figures in tonight’s loss. Pringle led Globalport with 21 points and seven rebounds. Romeo flirted with a double-double of 16 markers on a dismal 4-of-14 shooting and nine dimes.
Forward Niño Cañaleta, who hit four of six triples, supplied 14 points. Mike Cortez and Aaron Aban had 11 and 10, respectively. Center JR Quiñahan, who only had nine markers, imposed his presence on the glass as he grabbed 11 boards.
The Beermen barely shot better than the Batang Pier tonight. They only converted 34 out of 70 shots for a 48 percent clip. The rebounding battle was also close, 45 to 43, in San Miguel’s favor.
San Miguel and Globalport played tonight with depleted line-ups. The Beermen pulled through without top floor general Alex Cabagnot due to fever, while the Batang Pier did not have Papot Paredes due to his wedding.
Both teams will have TNT as their opponents in the coming week. Globalport will face them first on Wednesday, 7:00 PM, at the Cuneta Astrodome, while San Miguel will play them next Saturday, January 28 at the Philsports Arena at 5:15 PM.
The Scores:
San Miguel (106) – Santos 31, Lassiter 22, Fajardo 19, Heruela 10, Garcia 8, Tubid 8, Espinas 5, Ross 2, De Ocampo 1, McCarthy 0.
Globalport (100) – Pringle 21, Romeo 16, Canaleta 14, Cortez 11, Aban 10, Quinahan 9, Pessumal 8, Mamaril 6, Urbiztondo 3, Andrada 2, Maierhofer 0.
Quarterscores: 22-21, 51-50, 81-81, 106-100
