SAN Miguel advanced to the semifinals by winning its 10th straight game, ousting NLEX, 101-94, on Thursday in the PBA 50th Season Philippine Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
June Mar Fajardo and Don Trollano did the most damage in the third quarter to lead the Beermen in clinching a semifinals berth, extending their winning streak that got them the top seed in the playoffs.
SMB faces the winner of the Converge-Barangay Ginebra quarterfinal showdown in the next game today.
San Miguel looked out of sync when it trailed, 20-13, early in the contest, with the Beermen playing catch-up for most of the first half before finally finding their true form.
“We had a bad start. Maybe we were feeling the pressure. Nine wins is not a joke, it’s a lot of hard work and sleepless nights for the players,” said coach Leo Austria.
“But sabi ko nga, because of the experience, they know how to win especially in the second half. Give credit to NLEX, they were really prepared. We were not able to execute in the first quarter. But the likes of June Mar, he didn’t score a lot in the first half, but in the second half, he knows how to win.”
Fine finish for Beermen
SMB also won after trailing, 53-47, at the half, outscoring the Road Warriors, 32-19, in the third quarter.
San Miguel progressed to the All-Filipino semifinals for the fifth straight time, and 11th of the last 12 seasons according to PBA statistics chief Fidel Mangonon.
Fajardo posted a monster 26-point, 23-rebound double-double, as the most consistent performer for the Beermen in the contest.
Trollano had 15 of his 17 points in that third quarter turnaround to finally claim the lead that reached as high as 13 points, 68-55.
It was the end of the road for NLEX, which lost four straight games en route to its exit this conference.
The Scores:
San Miguel 101 – Fajardo 26, Cruz 18, Trollano 17, Perez 14, Brondial 8, Tautuaa 6, Lassiter 5, Tiongson 4, Cahilig 3, Ross 0, Teng 0, Rosales 0.
NLEX 94 – Bolick 31, Bahio 10, Fajardo 10, Ramirez 9, Alas 9, Onwubere 9, Gonzales 6, Mocon 5, Torres 4, Capulong 1, Policarpio 0, Rodger 0, Nieto 0.
Quarters: 28-29; 47-53; 79-72; 101-94.
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