SAN Miguel Alab Pilipinas nearly blew a 23-point lead before turning back Saigon Heat, 82-75, in the 2020 ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) on Sunday at the Sta. Rosa Multipurpose Complex in Laguna.
Jeremiah Gray ignited the Philippine side's early breakaway before putting the game under wraps with a split from the line in the last 16.6 seconds as they got themselves back in solo second place with a 9-5 win-loss card.
The Fil-Am guard finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, alongside an assist and a steal.
Nick King topscored for Alab with 26 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and four steals, but cooled off in the second half where he only scored two in the payoff period.
The Filipinos seized control early, posting a 23-point lead, 60-37, after a Gray slam at the 6:01 mark of the third quarter.
Khoa Tran, however, caught fire in the final canto, scoring all of his seven points as Saigon made a late run before Sam Thompson cut the lead to as low as four, 79-75, with 40.7 left.
Alab was able to dodge a bullet as Sam Deguara locked up the victory with a slam in the final 31.5 ticks off of a King assist.
The towering Deguara wound up with 15 points and seven boards, as Jason Brickman tallied five points, 14 assists, and six rebounds.
Alab goes back on the road to face the Kuala Lumpur Dragons anew on Feb. 19.
Thompson paced the Heat (3-10) with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists, while Tyshawn Taylor had 15 points, six boards, and six dimes.
Malcolm White also had 10 points and nine rebounds in a game where Saigon local standout Chris Dierker was held to just two points on 1-of-11 field goal shooting.
The scores:
SAN MIGUEL ALAB PILIPINAS 82 - King 26, Deguara 15, Gray 13, Heading 9, Domingo 6, Brickman 5, Ganuelas-Rosser 4, Williams 2, Vigil 2, Caracut 0, Aban 0, Rangel 0.
SAIGON HEAT 75 - Thompson 32, Taylor 15, White 10, Tran 7, Young 5, Dierker 2, Nguyen 2, Dinh 2.
Quarters: 25-15, 50-31, 71-54, 82-75.
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