SAN Miguel averted a mammoth upset in the PBA 48th Season Philippine Cup with a third-quarter offensive onslaught that sunk Terrafirma, 110-91, on Wednesday in their do-or-die quarterfinal match.
The Beermen outscored the Dyip, 34-22, in the third period of the do-or-die match at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium to clinch a berth in the Final Four and get their championship bid back on track.
June Mar Fajardo dominated the paint with 25 points and 22 rebounds for the top-seeded Beermen, who will face either TNT or Rain or Shine in the semifinals which will begin on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
San Miguel advanced to the semifinals the hard way after being forced into a do-or-die game by a 106-95 loss to No. 8 Terrafirma last Saturday.
The Beermen faced the prospect of a repeat as they trailed by as many as seven points in the first half, only to respond in a huge way in the third quarter.
“We came out at the start of the game and we pressured a lot and we brought them out of their comfort zone. The energy and discipline on defense today really worked,” said San Miguel coach Jorge Gallent, who also thanked the company’s sports director Alfrancis Chua for motivating the team before the game.
San Miguel began the third with an 18-4 blast as the Beermen went to Fajardo down low, scoring 10 in the quarter. Fajardo continued to dominate in the fourth with 11 in that period where the Beermen eventually led by as many as 20 points.
Terrence Romeo also provided the firepower for San Miguel after finishing with 19 points on 8-of-18 from the field. Don Trollano and CJ Perez each had 18 points for the Beermen.
Javi Gomez de Liano had 23 points and six rebounds, while Stephen Holt and Juami Tiongson added 18 points apiece for the Dyip.
The scores:
San Miguel 110 – Fajardo 25, Romeo 19, Trollano 18, Perez 18, Cruz 11, Lassiter 8, Ross 5, Tautuaa 4, Brondial 2, Enciso 0.
Terrafirma 91 – Gomez De Liano 23, Holt 18, Tiongson 18, Cahilig 12, Go 7, Camson 7, Carino 4, Ramos 2, Alolino 0, Mina 0, Sangalang 0.
Quarters: 20-25; 45-44; 79-66; 110-91.
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