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Mo Tautuaa leads San Miguel. PBA IMAGES
It had been easy to fire San Miguel Beer at the start of the Philippine Basketball Association Cup Philippine Cup months ago, with six-time MVP June Mar Fajardo out of the season due to a broken leg.
A victory on opening day last March did nothing to change that perception of vulnerability. In fact, that perception was amplified within the bubble at Smart Clark Giga City when gunner Terrence Romeo was sent home due to a shoulder injury.
On Wednesday night, the defending champs proved that with plenty of defense, there are still plenty of reasons for, as a popular hashtag says, “Fear the Beer.”
San Miguel limited Meralco to just two field goals in the first seven minutes of the fourth period and converted a 13-point deficit into an 89-82 victory at the Angeles University Foundation.
After opening their bubble period with two consecutive defeats, they came to Clark Freeport with a win on the bench courtesy of a Magnolia opening day win before the season was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Beermen have now won. three consecutive games here.
And with their fourth win in six games, they’ve suddenly thrown themselves into contention for a top 4 spot, offering protection twice to win in the first round of the playoffs.
And as coach Leo Austria expected, the Brewers are showing that they are more than five driven by Fajardo.
“We have a lot of veterans on the team and they keep encouraging us to do better,” said Mo Tautuaa, who finished with 23 points, five rebounds and two assists.
The Brewers fell to a 13-point hole in the third, 52-65, and were down nine at the start of the fourth when Tautuaa and Arwind Santos hit 3s to power the San Miguel rally.
“My players knew it was time to win and they know how to win,” said Austria, whose sentinels dropped the Bolts to 3-3. “We trust the experience of our players.”
Alex Cabagnot hit a clutch triple that made the count 86-80 and then hit Chris Ross with a kick that resulted in a dagger triple that sealed the score.
“This is really important because we are in the middle of qualifying and this victory will put us one step ahead of Meralco,” Austria said.
Santos also stood out for the Beermen, finishing with 17 points, 11 rebounds and two steals in 42 minutes of action. He hit 53 percent of his shots, posting a 3-for-6 clip from beyond the arc.
“He has been focused from the beginning,” Austria said. “When we lost our first two games here, he kept reminding us that we are not here on vacation. We have to take a step forward. And the morning after our second loss, he got up early in the morning, jogging. “
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