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San Miguel managers to fend off a late rally by Ginebra to claim solo second in the PBA PH Cup standings
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) — The San Miguel Beermen put a stop to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s furious comeback, 79-77, to grab solo second place in the 2015 PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday, November 16 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“This is a good start for us because the goal is to enter the top two,” said San Miguel head coach Leo Austria.
The Beermen led by as much as 15, 66-51, early in the fourth but squandered the edge as Ginebra uncorked an 11-1 tear and came to within 67-62 with just over 3 minutes remaining.
But the Beermen managed to withstand Ginebra’s rampage and come out victorious.
“Sumagot sila doon sa challenge,” Austria said. “I told them that against Ginebra, because the whole countryis watching, this is an opportunity for them to shine. And it happened.”
Arwind Santos had a near double-double with his 22 points and 9 boards. He was steady from the line and shot 5-of-6 free throws, including pressure-packed clutch charities, and missed only the very last one with 5.9 seconds remaining, which sparked a scramble for Ginebra to try and steal the game to no avail.
Reigning PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo had the last laugh against old college rival and fellow big man Greg Slaughter not only with the victory but also in points. Fajardo tallied 21 points and 15 rebounds while Slaughter settled for 16 markers. The former Ateneo Blue Eagle, however, won the battle of the boards over Fajardo with 18.
“June Mar is really our go-to guy. And I think he will keep on improving with this team because slowly he’s adapting our system,” Austria explained.
He added: “We won this game because I think it’s a team effort. We should learn from this, especially from the endgame. We had some lapses. But I’m really thankful this happened and opportunity went to our side.”
Subbing in for Mark Caguiao down the stretch, Jayjay Helterbrand quickly went on a solo 5-0 swing that cut San Miguel’s lead down to 69-67.
With the crowd involved and pressure rising, rookie Ronald Pascual drained a top of the key three-pointer to douse water on the Gin Kings’ rally, 72-67, with 1:29 to go.
Big man Slaughter countered with his own and-one play and later sank a hook shot over Fajardo to tie the game at 72-all with 40.7 seconds left.
The 25-year old Fajardo then redeemed himself in the ensuing play to put San Miguel ahead by 74-72.
“I think June Mar played well tonight,” Austria said. “He was anticipating this game because in the past June Mar was not a hundred percent.”
Japeth Aguilar had a chance to knot the count once more but failed to convert on an alley-oop play with the lob thrown by Slaughter.
“This is a good start for us because the goal is to enter the top two,” said San Miguel head coach Leo Austria.
The Beermen led by as much as 15, 66-51, early in the fourth but squandered the edge as Ginebra uncorked an 11-1 tear and came to within 67-62 with just over 3 minutes remaining.
But the Beermen managed to withstand Ginebra’s rampage and come out victorious.
“Sumagot sila doon sa challenge,” Austria said. “I told them that against Ginebra, because the whole countryis watching, this is an opportunity for them to shine. And it happened.”
Arwind Santos had a near double-double with his 22 points and 9 boards. He was steady from the line and shot 5-of-6 free throws, including pressure-packed clutch charities, and missed only the very last one with 5.9 seconds remaining, which sparked a scramble for Ginebra to try and steal the game to no avail.
Reigning PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo had the last laugh against old college rival and fellow big man Greg Slaughter not only with the victory but also in points. Fajardo tallied 21 points and 15 rebounds while Slaughter settled for 16 markers. The former Ateneo Blue Eagle, however, won the battle of the boards over Fajardo with 18.
“June Mar is really our go-to guy. And I think he will keep on improving with this team because slowly he’s adapting our system,” Austria explained.
He added: “We won this game because I think it’s a team effort. We should learn from this, especially from the endgame. We had some lapses. But I’m really thankful this happened and opportunity went to our side.”
Subbing in for Mark Caguiao down the stretch, Jayjay Helterbrand quickly went on a solo 5-0 swing that cut San Miguel’s lead down to 69-67.
With the crowd involved and pressure rising, rookie Ronald Pascual drained a top of the key three-pointer to douse water on the Gin Kings’ rally, 72-67, with 1:29 to go.
Big man Slaughter countered with his own and-one play and later sank a hook shot over Fajardo to tie the game at 72-all with 40.7 seconds left.
The 25-year old Fajardo then redeemed himself in the ensuing play to put San Miguel ahead by 74-72.
“I think June Mar played well tonight,” Austria said. “He was anticipating this game because in the past June Mar was not a hundred percent.”
Japeth Aguilar had a chance to knot the count once more but failed to convert on an alley-oop play with the lob thrown by Slaughter.
Helterbrand sank a corner triple with 5.9 ticks left to make it just a 78-77 deficit but Santos calmly sank his charities in the end.
With the win, San Miguel unseated Ginebra from second place with a 5-1 record. The Gin Kings, on the other hand, ended their win streak at 3 and fell to 5-2.
Aguilar added 15 points and 6 rebounds for Ginebra, which registered a season-low 13 assists. Prior to this game, Ginebra normed 24 assists and never had a game with assists below 19. The 13 dimes also came right after Ginebra tallied a season-high 32 assists against Barako Bull the previous game
With the win, San Miguel unseated Ginebra from second place with a 5-1 record. The Gin Kings, on the other hand, ended their win streak at 3 and fell to 5-2.
Aguilar added 15 points and 6 rebounds for Ginebra, which registered a season-low 13 assists. Prior to this game, Ginebra normed 24 assists and never had a game with assists below 19. The 13 dimes also came right after Ginebra tallied a season-high 32 assists against Barako Bull the previous game
SAN MIGUEL (79) – Santos 22, Fajardo 21, Lutz 10, Pascual 7, Tubid 6, Chua 4, Ross 3, Lassiter 3, Mercado 2, Maierhofer 1, Semerad 0, Fortuna 0, Omolon 0.
GINEBRA (77) – Slaughter 16, Aguilar 15, Tenorio 10, Helterbrand 10, Caguioa 7, Ellis 6, Mamaril 3, Urbiztondo 3, Yeo 3, Reyes 2, Brondial 2, Monfort 0, Baracael 0, Forrester 0.
Quarterscores: 14-17, 38-33, 61-49, 79-77
Here are some photos of the game taken by Nuki Sabio/PBA Images
– Rappler.com
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