San Miguel takes down Phoenix, secures entry into next round

San Miguel relied on a dominant fourth quarter to defeat Phoenix Super LPG, 117-96, on Christmas Day at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. With the win, the Beermen secured a spot in the quarterfinal round of the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup.

Terrence Romeo came out with guns ablaze and scored 22 points on 8-11 two-point shooting while dishing out eight assists. CJ Perez nearly achieved a double-double, contributing 20 points and nine rebounds. Their standout performances powered the reigning Philippine Cup champs to their third consecutive victory, improving their record to 6-3 going into the holiday break.

“Nasa mind ko talaga na mag-aggressive, so ‘yon talaga ‘yung mga shots ko eh. Thankful ako sa tiwala ni Coach Jorge (Gallent), na kahit na medyo ‘di ko nakuha ‘yung first half, pero nando’n ‘yung tiwala niya sa ‘kin kaya nakabalik ako no’ng second half,” said Romeo during the post-game press conference.

Though he scored only seven points in the first half, the former FEU Tamaraw made key contributions when the team needed him most.

Debuting import Bennie Boatwright led SMB with 26 points, while Phoenix counterpart Johnathan Williams finished with a monster double-double with 37 points and 16 rebounds.

Phoenix saw their six-game winning streak end as the playoff-bound team fell to 7-2.

It was a close game through three quarters, but the Beermen dominated the fourth, outscoring the Fuel Masters 38-16 to seal the win.

RJ Jazul hit a buzzer-beating half-court shot to give Phoenix a 79-80 lead at the end of the third quarter. However, San Miguel responded with an 8-0 run to start the fourth quarter and take an 87-80 advantage, forcing Phoenix to call a timeout.

Jazul hit another three-pointer to cut the deficit to 87-83, but it was as close as Phoenix would get. Romeo and Lassiter made back-to-back baskets to extend San Miguel’s lead.

In the final two minutes, Romeo and Perez teamed up for two more baskets that sealed the win for San Miguel.

The scores:

San Miguel 117 – Boatwright 26, Romeo 22, Perez 20, Cruz 15, Trollano 12, Brondial 8, Lassiter 6, Tautuaa 4, Mallillin 2, Ross 2.

Phoenix Super LPG 96 – Williams 37, Jazul 14, Manganti 11, Mocon 10, Tio 6, Rivero 5, Garcia 4, Alejandro 4, Muyang 3, Tuffin 2, Lalata 0, Daves 0, Verano 0, Camacho 0, Rangel 0.

Quarterscores: 30-34, 54-58, 79-80, 117-96.