SAN Miguel sealed a place in the semifinals of the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup, completing a sweep of NorthPort following a 100-95 win on Thursday at the Don Honorio Ventura State University gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
SMB vs Northport recap
CJ Perez topscored with 21 points as the fourth-seeded Beermen closed out the best-of-three series in Game 2 and booked a place in the next round where they will face top seed TNT in a best-of-seven affair.
SMB's defense also clamped down on Robert Bolick, holding down the NorthPort star guard to 12 points as the flagship franchise of the SMC group returned to the semis after their shock quarterfinal exit in last year's PBA bubble.
Mo Tautuaa also had a big game for the Beermen with 17 points, while Marcio Lassiter added 15 points including shots that doused cold water on a number of NorthPort attempts to get back in the game late.
“We all know that it will not be an easy game because this is a do-or-die for NorthPort,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria. “We consider NorthPort as a strong team. Hindi lang sila mga bata, talented sila at ready to play.”
Greg Slaughter had 27 points and 12 rebounds, and Jamie Malonzo had 17 points, but NorthPort sorely missed the presence of Bolick, who did have 14 assists but struggled on the offensive end after shooting 6 of 18 from the field.
Perez scored seven in the second quarter including a lay-up to begin a 12-3 run to gain a 44-35 lead in the second quarter. The former Rookie of the Year winner also hit seven markers in the third.
Tautuaa scored a short stab and Lassiter buried a triple as San Miguel grabbed its biggest lead of the game at 13, 74-61.
San Miguel’s lead came to within four points, but Lassiter drained a three with 4:37 remaining for a seven-point gap, 92-85.
Seven out of the nine players that saw action for San Miguel actually scored in double figures with June Mar Fajardo adding 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Arwind Santos contributing 11 points and 13 rebounds.
The scores:
San Miguel 100 – Perez 21, Tautuaa 17, Lassiter 15, Fajardo 12, Ross 11, Romeo 11, Santos 11, Cabagnot 2, Pessumal 0.
NorthPort 95 – Slaughter 27, Malonzo 17, Onwubere 14, Bolick 12, Taha 9, Balanza 8, Rike 5, Doliguez 3, Elorde 0, Ferrer 0.
Quarters: 17-19; 46-39; 74-66; 100-95.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph