MANILA – San Miguel Beermen weathered a huge fourth-quarter rally by the NLEX Road Warriors for a 98-89 victory in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
After seeing their 15-point lead turned to an 85-all score with 51 seconds left, the Beermen got a three-pointer from Juan Miguel Tiongson and two free throws each from Jaymar Perez and Jeron Teng to establish a 92-85 advantage.
The Road Warriors cut the deficit to 89-92 via a four-point shot by Michael Miranda, but two free throws each from Marcio Lassiter and Celedonio Trollano sealed the win for the Beermen.
Perez top-scored for the Beermen with 28 points, Tiongson added 17 markers, June Mar Fajardo had a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Trollano tallied 12 as they opened the conference on a winning note.
“Give credits to NLEX because they are down by 15 points and they were able to get back,” said Beermen head coach Leo Austria after the game. “‘Yan yata ‘yung sakit ng team eh, may tendency to relax when we are up big.”
Miranda top-scored for the Road Warriors with 15 points, Robert Bolick struggled with 12 markers, Javee Mocon and Xyrus Torres ended with 11 apiece, and John Bahio contributed 10 points.
Meanwhile, Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots opened their campaign with a 106-84 victory over the Blackwater Bossing.
Zavier Lucero spearheaded the offense with 21 points, including two three-pointers, to go with seven rebounds and one assist as the Hotshots tied the Beermen with a 1-0 win-loss slate.
Ian Sangalang had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, Andy Mark Barroca contributed 14 points, while Jerom Lastimosa and Calvin Abueva tallied 13 apiece for the Hotshots.
Christian David finished with a career-high of 31 points, including four three-pointers and a four-point shot, while Sedrick Barefield added 24 markers as the Bossing dropped to 0-1./PN
