SAN Miguel clinched a place in the PBA 48th Season Philippine Cup Finals, overhauling a 19-point deficit to put away Rain or Shine, 107-100, on Friday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
CJ Perez drained a three-pointer with 25.7 seconds left for a four-point cushion, enough for San Miguel to frustrate Rain or Shine and complete a 4-0 sweep in their best-of-seven semifinal series.
June Mar Fajardo scored a follow-up that put SMB ahead, 101-100, while Don Trollano also helped the comeback bid of the Beermen, who went into high gear after falling behind 73-54 in the third quarter.
Perez finished with 25 points to lead the Beermen, who spoiled the 30-point effort of Gian Mamuyac.
The Beermen will play another finals series in the 48th season following their conquest of the Commissioner’s Cup. They will face either Meralco or Barangay Ginebra, which are tied at 2-2 in their own semifinal series.
Fajardo dominates again
Trollano chipped in 20 points, 13 in the fourth period, while Fajardo had 17 points, 23 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and three blocks in another dominant performance for the Beermen.
The Beermen were still trailing, 87-75, at the end of the third quarter before outscoring the Elasto Painters, 32-13, in the fourth.
“The players just didn’t quit,” said San Miguel coach Jorge Gallent. “They really played well especially at the end of the fourth. They wanted to end the series now that’s why they played really hard entering the fourth quarter. Kudos to them.”
It was a sorry defeat for Rain or Shine, which showed inexperience in failing to finish off the Beermen in a couple of winnable games in the series but displayed a lot of promise for the future.
Aside from Mamuyac, Adrian Nocum and Santi Santillan also stepped up by scoring 14 points apiece, while Anton Asistio and Beau Belga ha 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The scores:
San Miguel 107 – Perez 26, Trollano 20, Fajardo 17, Cruz 11, Romeo 10, Teng 8, Brondial 6, Ross 5, Tautuaa 2, Lassiter 2, Enciso 0.
Rain or Shine 100 – Mamuyac 30, Nocum 14, Santillan 14, Asistio 13, Belga 12, Clarito 8, Caracut 3, Norwood 2, Ildefonso 2, Demusis 2, Datu 0.
Quarters: 25-27; 41-55; 75-87; 107-100.
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