The Freeman

Ginebra outlasts SMB to tie series

|February 27, 2017 31

- — InterAksyo­n.com

The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings got a huge buzzer-beater from Joe 'HYDQFH WR IRUFH RYHUWLPH EHIRUH WDNLQJ care of business in the extra period as they outlasted the defending champion San 0LJXHO %HHUPHQ LQ RYHUWLPH RI *DPH RI WKH 2SSR 3%$ 3KLOLSSLQH &XS )LQDOV RQ 6XQGD\ DW WKH 4XH]RQ &RQYHQWLRQ &HQWHU LQ /XFHQD &LW\ 4XH]RQ

*LQHEUD ORVW D SRLQW ¿UVW KDOI OHDG EXW PDQDJHG WR GUDJ WKH JDPH LQWR RYHUWLPH ZKHUH WKH\ PDGH WKH FOXWFK plays necessary to pull off the win and tie the series, DSLHFH

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The Kings then got a huge explosion from their Gilas URRNLH )HUUHU LQ WKH VHFRQG TXDUWHU 7KH IRUPHU 867 VWDU NQRFNHG GRZQ ELJ VKRW DIWHU ELJ VKRW ± LQFOXGLQJ WKUHH WKUHH SRLQWHUV ± DV KH VFRUHG SRLQWV LQ MXVW WKH VHFRQG TXDUWHU DORQH

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They establishe­d their MVP, June Mar Fajardo, down ORZ IRU D WKUHH SRLQW SOD\ RQ WKHLU YHU\ ¿UVW SRVVHVVLRQ DQG exploited the double-teams Ginebra threw at the big man, creating looks for Chris Ross and Arwind Santos as SMB ¿UHG RII D URXVLQJ UXQ WKDW EURXJKW WKHP EDFN LQ LW

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Unfortunat­ely for San Miguel, Lassiter could not keep his emotions in check and was booked for taunting after WKH WKUHH SRLQWHU

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The damage was done, though, as San Miguel outscored *LQHEUD LQ WKH WKLUG TXDUWHU DQG ZHQW LQWR WKH ¿QDO SHULRG WUDLOLQJ E\ MXVW WKUHH

%DUDQJD\ *LQHEUD UDOOLHG WKHLU DQG WKHLU IDQV¶ VSLULWV LQ the fourth quarter, though, after a monster dunk from Chris (OOLV DQG WZR KXJH SOD\V IURP $JXLODU ¿UVW VZDWWLQJ )DMDUGR and then posterizin­g the MVP with another highlight-reel VODP

60%¶V 5RQDOG 7XELG SLFNHG XS WKH VODFN LQ WKH absence of Lassiter, hitting two triples before drawing an XQVSRUWVPD­QOLNH IRXO YLD WKH ODQGLQJ VSRW UXOH RQ D WKLUG VWUDLJKW DWWHPSW +H KLW DOO WKUHH IUHH WKURZV WR ¿QDOO\ SXW WKH %HHUPHQ LQ IURQW ZKLOH *DEE\ (VSLQDV ODLG LW in on the extra possession to make it a three-point game,

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