MANILA — George King took charge in the closing moments as San Miguel Beermen survived the Terrafirma Dyip’s furious fourth-quarter comeback, 109-104, to remain unbeaten in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Saturday night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
King scored six points during San Miguel’s decisive 8-0 finishing run after the Beermen squandered a 22-point advantage and fell behind, 101-104, following a three-pointer by former San Miguel guard Juan Miguel Tiongson.
Consecutive turnovers by Tiongson, however, doomed Terrafirma’s upset bid.
King sank two free throws before converting a basket, while Jaymar Perez and Celedonio Trollano each knocked down a pair from the foul line to seal San Miguel’s second straight victory.
King delivered an all-around performance with 37 points, including two four-point shots and a three-pointer, to go with 14 rebounds and six assists.
Perez contributed 22 points, four rebounds and four assists, while Trollano provided 17 points off the bench as the Beermen improved to a 2-0 win-loss record.
Justin Strings led Terrafirma with 28 points, while Tiongson finished with 27. Maverick Ahanmisi added 20 points, and Brent Paraiso chipped in 10 as the Dyip absorbed another narrow defeat and slipped to 1-3.
Meanwhile, Meralco Bolts recovered from an early double-digit deficit to defeat the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 122-114.
Import Antonio Hester impressed in his Meralco debut with 21 points and nine rebounds, while Jason Brickman added 19 points.
Chris Banchero scored 15 points, Kier John Quinto contributed 14, and CJ Cansino and Chris Newsome chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively.
The Bolts trailed by as many as 10 points in the second quarter before erupting for 41 points in the third period to seize a 95-83 advantage.
Rain or Shine attempted to rally behind Aaron Fuller in the fourth quarter, but Meralco answered with timely baskets to preserve the victory.
Fuller paced the Elasto Painters with 28 points, while Adrian Nocum added 21. Vince Cuajao contributed 19 points, and Luis Villegas finished with 10 as Rain or Shine remained winless at 0-2./PN
