Super Marcio to the rescue.

Marcio Lassiter added another game-winner to his name in the PBA Philippine Cup as San Miguel knotted its semifinals series against TNT at 1-1 with a come-from-behind 98-96 squeaker on Wednesday, October 6.

After missing the potential game-winning layup in their crushing 88-89 series-opening loss, the Beermen guard came through this time by sinking the go-ahead putback just as time expired.

The Tropang Giga were on the verge of forging overtime following misses from June Mar Fajardo and Arwind Santos, but Lassiter collared the offensive rebound and drained the clutch bucket.

“I’m happy for him because he redeemed himself,” said San Miguel head coach Leo Austria in a mix of English and Filipino.

“We’re not lucky in Game 1, but today, it was for Marcio. He redeemed himself with that last shot.”

Prior to his heroics, Lassiter hardly made his presence felt for the Beermen.

Scoring only 3 points on a paltry 1-of-5 clip through three quarters, Lassiter rode the bench for almost the entire fourth period, a stretch that saw red-hot Terrence Romeo bring San Miguel back to life from a 19-point hole.

But just like what Lassiter proved after hitting the game-winning three-pointer in a 101-100 escape against Alaska at the end of the elimination round, he is as deadly as it gets when it comes to crunch time.

Subbing in with 23 seconds left, Lassiter gave the Beermen their first lead since the first quarter at 94-93 by canning his free throws before he knocked down the biggest basket of the game.

“That is what you call sense of urgency,” said Austria. “That possession was important and we’re lucky that he converted at the right time.”

With the momentum on its side, San Miguel goes for back-to-back wins as it meets TNT in Game 3 on Friday. October 8. – Rappler.com