Thus said San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria after his Beermen squandered their second 20-point lead in the three-game old Finals.
A picture of utter frustration, Austria added, “This loss of San Miguel is my full responsibility. I wasn’t able to control the game. We lost because we had a lot of turnovers and because of the great defense of Alaska.”
San Miguel committed 16 turnovers Sunday, with six coming in the pivotal fourth period where the Aces outscored the Beermen 32-6 to give the former a 2-1 lead in the race-to-four series.
But despite taking the blame for the defeat, Austria did not absolve his underperforming players who disappeared in the final stanza.
“All I can do is remind them what to do,” he said. “You cannot expect for fouls from the referees because it’s the Finals. We got turnovers from entry passes, we tried to get the ball to June Mar (Fajardo) in the shaded area but the ball didn’t get there,” he said.
Austria also praised Alaska for a job well done, recovering in the payoff period despite the Beermen’s hot shooting in the quarter prior.
“They have a lot of talented players, they have veterans there, and they know what the situation is,” said Austria. “We panicked. I congratulate Alaska for a job well done.”
SMB’a battery of coaches will have two days to think about the loss and prepare for Game 4 on Wednesday, but though down, the seasoned Austria believes that they can still match Alaska’s intensity in the next games. That is if his players would be up to the task.
“This is a long series and we’re capable of winning,” he said. “The potential is there and it’s up to us. But I can only do so much.” (RL)
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