TNT, G’PORT TAKE EARLY VACATION Beermen, Hotshots reach semis
Games today (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 4:30 p.m. – Ginebra vs Rain or Shine 7 p.m. – NLEX vs Alaska
San Miguel Beer showed the poise and grace of a champion team against a TNT KaTropa side fighting hard to stay alive, pulling off a 106-93 victory to clinch the first semifinals berth in the PBA Philippine Cup at the MOA Arena last night.
Big time players June Mar Fajardo, Arwind Santos and Marcio Lassiter delivered in the clutch, anchoring the Beermen’s unwavering stand leading to an early Final Four passage versus the winner of the Barangay Ginebra-Rain or Shine quarterfinals matchup.
Fajardo dominated with 35 points and 11 rebounds, Lassiter came through with his lethal performance with 20 markers while Santos hit clutch baskets as the topseeded Beermen took one game to dispose of the eighth-ranked Texters.
“TNT has gone through two knockout games and they pulled off blowout games, so I was worried. But then my players came out so focused, they followed the game plan, and their playoff experience prevailed,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria.
San Miguel thus reasserted its mastery over TNT in playoff matches and took a step towards achieving a fourth straight crown in the league’s premier tourney.
Last season, the Beermen outfought the Texters in a classic semifinal showdown in this conference then repeated in their Governors Cup title showdown.
Meanwhile, Ginebra and NLEX both look to close out their respective best-ofthree quarters showdowns versus ROS and Alaska Milk as action shifts back to the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.
The Kings and the E-Painters take the floor at 4:30 p.m. then the Road Warriors and the Aces play at 7 p.m.
TNT became the tourney’s fifth casualty after Kia, Meralco, Blackwater and Phoenix Petroleum, but not without a fight.
Second seed Magnolia also booked an early semifinal passage on a stirring come-frombehind 86-79 win over GlobalPort later in the night.
Mark Barroca, Paul Lee, Marc Pingris and Ian Sangalang led the way as the Hotshots overcame a poor start and an early 20-point deficit to deliver the knockout blow on the Batang Pier.
The Hotshots employed an efficient defense, holding the Batang Pier to 53 points in the last three quarters after exploding for 26 in the opening canto.
Probably adding to GlobalPort’s downfall was the ugly verbal tussle between coach Pido Jarencio and ace player Terrence Romeo after the Hotshots had taken the lead at 54-53 with three minutes left in the third.
NOTES: SMB coach Leo Austria turned emotional in the post-game interview with the win that he considered a big blessing going with the successful kidney transplant of his wife earlier in the day. “The doctors said everything is okay,” said Austria, in tears. The scores: First Game SMB 106 — Fajardo 35, Lassiter 20, Santos 15, Ross 13, Cabagnot 8, Heruela 5, Ganuelas-Rosser 4, De Ocampo 3, Pessumal 2, Espinas 1
TNT 93 — Castro 19, Rosario 19, Pogoy 17, Semerad 16, Williams 15, Cruz 3, Garcia 2, Torres 2, Carey 0, Paredes 0, Reyes 0, Tautuaa 0 Quarterscores: 31-23, 52-44, 77-72, 106-93 Second Game MAGNOLIA 86 – Barroca 17, Lee 14, Pingris 13, Sangalang 11, Melton 7, Simon 7, Ramos 6, Jalalon 5, Brondial 4, Reavis 2, Dela Rosa 0.
GLOBALPORT 79 – Pringle 31, Romeo 14, Grey 9, Sargent 7, Nabong 5, Elorde 4, Taha 3, Teng 3, Gabayni 2, Araña 1, Anthony 0, Guinto 0.
Quarterscores: 12-26, 34-45, 61-59, 86-79