Beermen vow to fight back
UTSUNOMIYA – San Miguel Beer head coach Jorge Gallent saw a silver lining in the team’s 96-68 loss to Ryukyu at the Nikkan Arena here and predicted a win over Anyang KGC in Okinawa tonight if the Beermen play like they did in the second half against the Golden Kings in the EASL Champions Week.
The Beermen held a four-point lead in the first quarter but stayed in the driver’s seat for only 3:16 minutes. Ryukyu ended the period up by seven and the half by 21. San Miguel battled back in the third quarter and was outscored by only one before the Golden Kings wrapped it up with a 26-20 edge in the fourth. In the first half, Gallent admitted the Beermen were flat. In the second half, they were competitive.
“It was a challenge,” said Gallent. “Our second import (Jessie Govan) practiced with us only for three or four days and he hadn’t played in a year. We were badly outrebounded (by 20). I regret playing June Mar (Fajardo). He played with Gilas against Jordan last Monday night then at four the next morning, was in the airport for the flight to Japan. I thought of resting June Mar but we couldn’t disappoint the fans. In just 21 seconds, he hurt his left knee and limped off the court. He’s being assessed and we’re hoping he’ll be OK when we play again in the PBA on March 15.”
Gallent said Terrence Romeo, nursing a hamstring strain, wasn’t ready and Vic Manuel played sparingly for 3:17 minutes as he’s still about 70 percent. CJ Perez, who played against Jordan like Fajardo, pushed himself to compete and wound up with 12 points, hitting four of 14 field goals. Cameron Clark said Ryukyu’s Allen Durham was a tough matchup but he battled to keep the flag flying. Clark finished with 25 points.
“We’re adjusting,” said Gallent. “It’s only now we’re playing with two imports. Our game against Anyang is a must-win. I know we’ll be better.” Fajardo will sit out the action and it’s not sure if Romeo will play. Govan, who played for Georgetown University and Washington in the NBA, has to be dominant for San Miguel to prevail. Against Ryukyu, the 6-11 former US U17 national player was scoreless in the first half and the fourth quarter, ending with seven points and three rebounds. For a Georgetown center, the statline was inconceivable.