MANILA — Aklanon guard Kris Rosales rose to the occasion when it mattered most, hitting clutch shots down the stretch to power the San Miguel Beermen past the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings, 83-81, in a thrilling PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup matchup on Sunday night (Monday morning in the Philippines) at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, UAE.
Rosales, who scored all of his eight points in the decisive fourth quarter, delivered a timely triple and crucial free throws that helped the Beermen stave off a late Ginebra rally and clinch their second straight victory to even their record at 2-2.
With San Miguel clinging to a 75-72 lead, Rosales split his free throws before burying a long-range bomb to widen the gap to 79-72. The Gin Kings tried to rally behind Stephen Holt and Earl Scottie Thompson, but Rosales’ steady hands from the line sealed the win for the defending champions.
Ginebra nearly pulled off a stunning finish when Jeth Troy Rosario intercepted an inbound pass in the dying seconds, but Thompson’s desperate four-point attempt rimmed out at the buzzer.
“Grateful sa teammates ko, nagawa namin ‘yung pinagpraktisan namin nung nakaraang araw. Good thing at nakuha namin itong panalo na ito,” said June Mar Fajardo, who led San Miguel with 17 points and 16 rebounds.
Juan Miguel Tiongson, Jaymar Perez, and John Michael Calma contributed 10 points apiece for the Beermen.
For Ginebra, Japeth Aguilar paced the team with 20 points, while Rhon Jay Abarrientos and Thompson tallied 17 and 15, respectively, as the Kings dropped to 1-3.
In other games, NLEX Road Warriors (3-1) edged the Meralco Bolts (3-3), 89-85, behind JB Bahio’s 16 points, while Anton Asistio calmly sank four free throws with a second left to lift Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (3-1) past Titan Ultra Giant Risers (1-4), 112-111, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City./PN
