-
-
-
SERVICES
THE INQUIRER COMPANY
-
-
-
-
04
-
26
-
2024
-
SERVICES
THE INQUIRER COMPANY
04
26
2024
THERE would be no epic collapse by San Miguel Beer Wednesday, notwithstanding another gallant stand by Alaska.
The Beermen surged to an early lead anew but this time successfully nipped in the bud any Aces fightback for an 88-70 victory that turned their PBA Philippine Cup championship series into a best-of-three affair at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Alex Cabagnot frolicked in his new starting role in these Finals with 22 points and seven assists, while June Mar Fajardo, Arwind Santos, Chris Lutz and Ronald Tubid all came up with significant and often timely contributions.
As a result, SMB bounced back strong from a 70-78 loss in Game 3, when it blew a 21-point third quarter lead, and reprised its 100-86 victory in Game 2 that gave it two wins like Alaska.
“I think the main reason is we were able to sustain our energy, keep our focus and play defense from start to finish,” said Beermen coach Leo Austria, whose team also squandered a 22-point bulge in an 82-88 loss in the series opener.
And then there’s Cabagnot, who along with Tubid and Lassiter finally “showed up” for Austria.
“Kasama siya sa candidates sa Best Player of the Conference kaya ibig sabihin meron siya,” said Austria of Cabagnot. “This time nag-deliver siya and he is one of the major reasons why we were able to break their press.
“Medyo suwerte rin kami dahil Marcio was able to deliver, also Tubid. First three games you can hardly see them. Eight to 10 points from them malaking help sa amin.”
Cabagnot, acquired from GlobalPort after the eliminations, said it was simply a matter of his tries finally finding their mark.
“My shots just went in,” said Cabagnot, who made half of his 14 field goal attempts.
“I think it just came with the preparations I’ve done so far,” he added.
Tubid wound up with 13 points, with his putback followed by a jig highlighting SMB going to the final quarter with a 73-49 cushion.
Lassiter also wound up in double figures with 10 points, helping make up for newly-crowned Best Player of the Conference Fajardo and Santos netting 11 points apiece. Santos collared a game-high 14 rebounds while Fajardo had 11.
Calvin Abueva equaled his series high with 22 points to go with seven boards, but he was the lone Alaska player in double figures. (NC)
Highlighting Alaska’s struggles was Jayvee Casio going scoreless in a game, the first time in his four-year PBA career he did so.
“We got beat and you can write that with an exclamation point,” said Aces coach Alex Compton, whose team trailed by as many as 29 points early in the third quarter and would come no closer than 17 the rest of the way.
“Siguro nakita natin why No. 1 ang San Miguel after the eliminations,” added Compton. “Hindi bago sa amin ang mag-struggle sa opensa, but they were shooting the lights out. Credit their coach Leo and his staff. They had a great gameplan, great preparation.”
Indeed, the only area Alaska won over SMB was in turnovers, with the Aces’ 17 five less than the Beermen’s. Otherwise, it was the latter’s game after quickly razing a 2-1 lead by Alaska.
“The game should have been called right there,” joked Compton.
Averaging just 6.7 points in the Finals coming into the game, Cabagnot already had 16 points at the half and, together with Fajardo, propped SMB’s surge to a 49-26 lead at the turn.
Cabagnot was consistently effective in the first two quarters, shooting 3-for-5 from the field each time while ably spearheading the Beermen’s shredding of the Aces’ pressure defense.
Fajardo, meanwhile, was particularly active in the second period with six of his 11 first half points and combining with Cabagnot in a 10-2 run to end the half.
Abueva already had 12 points at the half but he got little support as the likes of Casio and Thoss were stymied.
The shots from way deep were also falling for SMB as it connected on eight of 20 three-point shots, including six in the opening canto that enabled the Beermen to break off from a 13-12 count and into a 33-16 spread. (NC)
Follow Us
Other Stories:
Recent Stories:
Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines.