3-pointer keys San Miguel's win over TNT at Ynares Center
San Miguel went on a telling run in the stretch run to hack out a 98-93 win over TNT in the main game of the PBA Commissioner's Cup Sunday at the Ynares Center.
A Chris Ross three-pointer, an Ivan Aska tip in, and a bank shot by CJ Perez capped an 11-2 Beermen run that turned the tide in their favor and notched their fifth win in eight outings.
It was also the second straight win in three days for San Miguel routing Barangay Ginebra last Friday, 95-82.
Aska topscored for 25 points and nine rebounds as he played his final game for San Miguel with a bang. He’s slated to be replaced by Bennie Boatwright.
"These guys don’t know how to quit. Everybody gave their hearts out, especially Ivan. I think he didn’t give 100 percent, but I think he gave 100 percent today," said coach Jorge Gallent. The loss snapped TNT's two-game winning run and fell at an even 4-4 record for solo sixth place.
But the Tropang Giga controlled the match for most of the part and even held an 88-83 lead inside the final five minutes.
The Beermen though, fought back to erase a four-point deficit with the game's telling run instigated by a Ross three pointer and followed by a Perez fadeaway and Aska's putback that made it a 96-93 San Miguel lead with 28 seconds to play.
Perez added 20 points and seven rebounds, while Terrence Romeo, who had a heated confrontation with Aska late in the game for a botched offensive play, had 14 for the Beermen.
Calvin Oftana had a double-double of 27 points and 13 rebounds in a losing cause for TNT, which also got 26 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, and three steals from import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. The former NBA player though committed a total of five turnovers.