SAN Miguel once again came from behind to beat TNT KaTropa, 106-102, on Wednesday night and clinched a place in the semifinals of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Beermen, who won Game One by storming back from a 23-point deficit, overcame a 12-point, first-quarter deficit to complete a sweep of the their best-of-three quarterfinal series against the third-seeded KaTropa.
Renaldo Balkman finished with 25 points including four free throws that broke a 98-98 deadlock as the Beermen sealed a best-of-five semifinal against old foe Alaska.
Alex Cabagnot added 21 points and spearheaded a 7-0 run that enabled the Beermen to grab an 80-77 lead entering the final canto. He also led a 6-0 blast in the fourth that widened the lead to 86-79.
San Miguel coach Leo Austria was relieved to come out alive after a short and tricky series.
“We are not familiar in this situation na best-of-three or twice-to-beat ‘yung kalaban. But this game is really a good challenge for us. We knew after the first game, we’ve learned a lot,” said Austria.
June Mar Fajardo had 19 points and 12 rebounds while Lassiter added 13 markers for the Beermen, who fell behind, 30-12, in the first period.
Terrence Romeo had 28 points but couldn’t connect on two three-point shots in the final minute of the game.
The scores:
San Miguel 106 – Balkman 25, Cabagnot 21, Fajardo 19, Lassiter 13, Ross 11, Nabong 9, Santos 8, Heruela 0, Ganuelas-Rosser 0.
TNT 102 – Romeo 28, Smith 21, Semerad 19, Rosario 11, Castro 7, Pogoy 6, Williams 6, Trollano 3, Taha 1, Carey 0, Reyes 0.
Quarters: 27-32; 56-55; 80-77; 106-102.
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