PBA Philippine Cup leader San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra were the first teams to clinch quarterfinal berths in the season-ending conference Friday night.
The Beermen avoided the upset ax against Converge behind a 112-103 win, while the Kings edged TNT Tropang Giga in a game with a playoff atmosphere, 87-83, at the Philsports Arena.
San Miguel kept its unbeaten slate at 6-0 for the longest win streak in the conference so far, while keeping on track of a possible 1-2 finish at the end of the eliminations and a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs.
Ginebra also stretched its winning run to three games for a 6-3 record in the standings and the solo third place. The Kings also put themselves in a good position for a Top 2 finish heading to the playoffs.
Here are the takeaways from the first of a two-day game schedule at Philsports
1. San Miguel flexed its offensive might against Converge, exploding for 51 points in the third quarter alone to finally turn around a game it trailed for the entire first half. From Marcio Lassiter, Don Trollano, to CJ Perez, the Beermen were virtually unstoppable during that surge. Trailing 43-50 at the break, San Miguel already led by as many as 94-70 heading to the final quarter. The Beermen’s biggest lead was at 93-68. Five players finished in double figures for the team led by the 25 of Perez, who also had 10 rebounds, Lassiter and Trollano with 19 each, Terrence Romeo with 18 including 13 in the first half, and big man June Mar Fajardo with 14 points and 17 rebounds. For the record, San Miguel doesn’t even have Jericho Cruz on Friday owing to a knee contusion.
PHOTO: JEROME ASCANO
2. Marcio Lassiter proved he remains one of the league’s top gunners by firing five three-pointers during that sizzling third-quarter run by San Miguel. He finished 5-of-10 from beyond the arc to move one triple shy of tying two-time MVP James Yap at no. 4 overall in the all-time list of three-point shots made. Lassiter is at no. 5 with 1,193 to Yap’s 1,194. The Beermen’s next game will be on Sunday against the Northport Batang Pier.
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3. Since the return of Scottie Thompson, Barangay Ginebra has been on a roll, winning three in a row including a grind-out 87-83 victory over TNT in which the former MVP had a huge say. The guard out of University of Perpetual Help nailed a huge three-pointer in the final 53 seconds that broke the game’s final deadlock, 86-83. Thompson almost completed a triple-double behind his 17-10-6 statline.
PHOTO: JEROME ASCANO
4. Alec Stockton tallied a career-high 36 points including 5-of-9 from three-point range which unfortunately went for naught as the losses keep piling up for Converge. The FiberXers remain winless in eight outings and were formally eliminated from the playoffs. In all, the franchise is on a 12-game losing stretch dating back to the season-opener Commissioner’s Cup.
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