MANILA – San Miguel Beermen broke away from second quarter onwards to dominate TNT Tropang 5G, 108-88, in Game 3 of the PBA Philippine Cup finals last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
June Mar Fajardo spearheaded the offense with 33 points, on 12-of-14 field goal shooting, to go with 11 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and a block as the Beermen took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Chris Ross chipped in 15 markers, all coming in the second half, while Ilonggo Jericho Cruz, Jaymar Perez, and Celedonio Trollano contributed 13, 12, and 10 points, respectively, for the Beermen.
Down 48-49 with over two minutes in the second quarter, the Beermen went on an 11-3 scoring run behind Marcio Lassiter, Fajardo, and Perez to establish a 59-52 lead at the half.
The Beermen continued their run in the third quarter with a pair of triples from Ross and inside hits from Fajardo and Trollano for an 86-70 lead before the Tropang 5G started the fourth quarter strong to cut the deficit to 83-90.
San Miguel Beer, however, went on another surge behind a split free throw and a triple by Ross, followed by a three-point play by Moala Tautuaa for a 97-83 lead before widening it to its largest at 108-88 on two free throws by Ross.
“I think the experience of our players is the key. They know that the fourth quarter is pivotal and they know how to handle the game in the Finals because this is a very important game, third game,” said Beermen head coach Leo Austria.
“Everybody was inspired with what June Mar and Chris are doing on the court, not just scoring, but also defending,” he added. “Everybody wants to win and that’s the most important thing.”
Roger Pogoy top-scored for the Tropang 5G with 16 points, Calvin Oftana added 15 markers, while Almond Vosotros, Glenn Khobuntin, Kelly Williams, and Jordan Heading had 14, 13, 11, and 10 markers, respectively./PN
BOX SCORE:
SAN MIGUEL 108 – Fajardo 33, Ross 15, Cruz 13, Perez 12, Trollano 10, Tautuaa 9, Lassiter 6, Brondial 6, Rosales 2, Teng 2, Tiongson 0, Calma 0.
TNT 88 – Pogoy 16, Oftana 15, Vosotros 14, Khobuntin 13, Williams 11, Heading 10, Ganuelas-Rosser 3, Enciso 3, Galinato 3, Heruela 0, Variila 0, Aurin 0.
Quarterscores: 22-25, 59-52, 86-70, 108-88.
