INCHING closer to the top seed, league-leader San Miguel Beer showed its authority for most part before holding off Kia in a cardiac finish to list a thrilling 108-106 escape victory and ensure itself a place in the Top 2 of the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.
Marcio Lassiter saved the day for the Beermen with his game-winning lay-up from a nice dime from Chris Ross at the buzzer, allowing the Beermen to avoid what might have total collapse.
Arwind Santos had his best game of the tournament, tallying game-highs of 27 points and 12 rebounds on top of five assists, while Lassiter was equally impressive with 22 markers.
It seemed like San Miguel was headed for an expected cruising finish when it still held a commanding 100-82 advantage with under nine minutes left.
Unexpectedly, the Picanto suddenly woke up and embarked on an impressive 18-2 run to put itself in the game as it only stared at a 100-102 deficit after Ronald Tubid’s lay-up with under three minutes remaining. From there, it was a seesaw battle with the game hanging in the balance and Kia even taking the lead briefly and appearing to potentially complete a stunner.
Fortunately for San Miguel it had the last laugh.
Already safely through to the quarterfinals for quite sometime now, the Beermen moved closer to securing the top seed as it improved further to 8-2 with still a game left. A win in their final assignment will seal their top ranking.
More importantly, San Miguel, which won its second straight game, ensured itself of a Top 2 finish as it has claimed the first of the two twice-to-beat incentives in the quarters.
Kia’s nightmare finally ended as it finished with a woeful 1-10 card for dead last, while exiting with a six-game losing streak.
In the absence of star big man June Mar Fajardo, who is still with Gilas Pilipinas for its FIBA games, his fellow bigs stepped up for him to fill his void. Santos and Yancy De Ocampo took it upon themselves to help San Miguel upfront as their duo combined for 21 points right away in the first half and that allowed the Beermen to break the game wide open and put the game to rest early.
Glenn Khobuntin led Kia with a team-high 15 points.
The Scores
SAN MIGUEL 108 – Santos 27, Lassiter 22, Pessumal 11, De Ocampo 10, Heruela 9, Ross 9, Espinas 8, Vigil 5, Ganuelas-Rosser 5, Mamaril 2, Agovida 0, Lanete 0, Semerad 0.
KIA 106 – Khobuntin 15, Corpuz 12, Gabriel 10, McCarthy 10, Yee 10, Cabrera 9, Celda 8, Camson 8, Tubid 7, Ababou 6, Jamon 5, Escoto 4, Lastimosa 2, Sara 0, Galanza 0.
Quarter scores: 29-23, 61-41, 91-71, 108-106.