SAN Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria praised Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos for refusing to back down against TNT KaTropa in their heated PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals rematch on Saturday.
Lassiter hardly flinched when Terrence Romeo confronted him for his hard foul and clapping at his face in another play that led to their ejection.
Action continued in the fourth quarter when Santos got entangled in his own scuffle against Anthony Semerad, leading to their ejection.
“Salute ako sa kanila because they showed na they're out there to win games to the point na lagi silang makikipagrambulan doon for the team and even Arwind,” Austria said.
Austria was glad the rest of the Beermen, including Renaldo Balkman, kept their cool and composure to shrug off a late stand by the Texters.
Balkman dropped 43 points as the Beermen overcame the absence of Lassiter in the second half and Santos down the stretch.
“We're fortunate at that time dahil nag-miss yung kanilang free throws, sa amin, pumasok, and I think that's one of the turning points,” Austria said.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph