Simon Enciso clutch as Beermen escape Dragons to extend semis series

Simon Enciso drained a clutch triple with 10.8 seconds left on the game clock which gave San Miguel the lead and eventually the win against Bay Area, 98-96, in Game 3 of the semifinals in the PBA Season 47 Commissioner’s Cup, Sunday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

The Beermen picked up their first win in the best-of-five series and will try to go for the equalizer when the two sides clash anew in Game 4 which is set on Wednesday, December 21, 5:45pm at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The Dragons had two chances to send the game into an extra period but Devon Scott denied Kobey Lam while Jericho Cruz foiled Hayden Blankley’s short stab to preserve the hard-earned victory.

Scott led the charge for the defending champions with a double-double effort of 25 points and 14 rebounds to go with 2 assists, a steal and 2 rejections in 44 minutes of action.

“This is an indication [that] Bay Area is beatable,” said San Miguel head coach Leo Austria during the post-game presser.

“Devon was really all focused. That was the game-winning block. The last time Kobey Lam beat us by a layup, his time he (Scott) didn’t allow it,” he added.

June Mar Fajardo finished with 21 points, 16 boards, 2 assists, a steal and 3 blocks while CJ Perez, Enciso and Terrence Romeo chipped in 17, 16 and 13 markers, respectively.

“It’s really tough for us, but I think, our players, pride ang umiiral dahil we’re up against a foreign team, it’s a good challenge for them. Win or lose, as long as we’re fighting for the pride of the Filipino people, we’re okay,” said Austria.

The scores:

San Miguel 98 –Scott 25, Fajardo 21, Perez 17, Enciso 16, Romeo 13, Lassiter 6, Ross 0, Cruz 0, Manuel 0, Brondial 0.

Bay Area 96 – Nicholson 34, Zhu 17, Liu 12, Lam 12, Blankley 10, Ju 6, Yang 5, Ewing 0.

Quarterscores: 17-24, 43-47, 75-70, 98-96.