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San Miguel Beer displayed veteran poise in the final minutes as the Beermen posted a 92-88 victory over Alaska in the PBA Philippine Cup on Saturday at the Angeles University Foundation Arena in Angeles, Pampanga.
The Brewers earned their second straight win with a 3-2 win-loss record while halting Alaska’s streak by three. The Aces are now 3-3 in the compact bubble conference.
The Beermen didn’t need to be excellent on offense with Alaska struggling for their shots to fall within the last 6 minutes and 50 seconds of the game. During that stretch, only Vic Manuel and Mike Digregorio scored for the Aces with six markers combined.
After Abu Tratter worked his way to the basket to give Alaska the lead, 82-80, the Aces went scoreless for the next 3 minutes and 43 seconds.
In the meantime, scoring was a breeze for the brewers, who kept pace the rest of the way. Alex Cabagnot scored a three-point play, while Marcio Lassiter made all seven free throw attempts for the Beermen, who have a hectic schedule ahead.
SMB head coach Leo Austria said the team was lucky that the Aces ran out of gas down the stretch after playing three games in five days. But it took nothing away from their battle-tested protectors, who held the fort until the final bell.
“I give credit to the veterans. They took a big step forward. I felt the sense of urgency in them. They are all so focused. We didn’t lose our composure,” Austria said. “We are very happy for them because this stage is very crucial for us. With 2-2 we cannot afford to lose.”
Arwind Santos, who led the team with 17 points and 10 rebounds to go with a pair of blocks, couldn’t agree more. “We needed this game. From now on, every game is important to us,” Santos said.
Cabagnot scored 19 points on 50 percent shooting (8/16) in addition to 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Lassiter and Chris Ross added 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Vic Manuel and Barkley Eboña each scored 18 points for Alaska. Three others finished in double figures for the Aces, but no one was able to buy a bucket down the stretch.
THE SCORES
SAN MIGUEL 92 – Cabagnot 19, Santos 17, Tautuaa 16, Lassiter 13, Ross 10, Pessumal 8, Zamar 6, Escoto 2, Mamaril 1, Gamalinda 0.
ALASKA 88 – Manuel 18, Ebona 18, DiGregorio 13, Herndon 12, Tratter 11, Brondial 9, Casio 7, Teng 0, Ahanmisi 0, Galliguez 0, Ayaay 0, Public 0.
Quarterscores: 27-17; 41-39; 69-68; 92-88
ADDITIONAL JARS
-Alaska wore retro jerseys inspired by the 1996 Grand Slam team. Head coach Jeff Cariaso was part of that team.
-Mo Tautuaa finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds and assists, but had 6 turnovers.
NEXT GAMES
SMB – vs Meralco on October 28 at 6:45 pm
Alaska – vs Terrafirma on October 27 at 4 pm
