By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE defending champions San Miguel Beermen moved a win away from returning to the finals of the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup after beating the Alaska Aces, 105-94, on Monday night in Game Two of their best-of-five semifinal series to go up 2-0.
Limited in the first 24 minutes of the contest, the Beermen flipped the switch in the second fold to overtake the Aces and eventually seize the victory.
Alaska started aggressively on both ends of the court to keep control of the opening quarter, 29-18.
Led by rookie Jeron Teng, the Aces continued to play strong to begin the second canto.
They outscored the Beermen, 12-7, to extend their lead to 16 points, 41-25, in the first four minutes.
But San Miguel would hit its strides after, cutting its deficit to just five points, 43-38, with a little over three minutes left in the quarter.
Alaska was able to collect itself for a recoil as the period expired, going on a 9-3 run to reestablish a double-digit cushion, 52-41, by the halftime break.
In the third quarter, it was the Beermen’s turn to go on a fast start, going on a 13-3 blitz with three and a half minutes lapsing to tie the count at 54-all.
The two teams went back and forth after with the score continued to be knotted at 64-all at the four-minute mark of the quarter.
Things eventually settled with San Miguel completing a third-quarter turnaround, holding a 79-74 advantage heading into the final 12 minutes.
Alaska cranked up its pressure defense at the start of the fourth, immediately reaping benefits as it was able to seize back the lead, 80-79, at the 10:34 mark.
The scored stood at 88-85 and the Beermen on top with six minutes remaining on the clock.
Import Renaldo Balkman and Alex Cabagnot combined for six points after for the Beermen in the next three minutes to give their team added leverage, 94-87.
San Miguel held an eight-point lead, 98-90, as the match entered the last two minutes.
Alaska tried to claw its way back from there but could only come within six points, 98-92, after a basket by Vic Manuel.
Back-to-back triples by Arwind Santos and Mr. Cabagnot put the game away for San Miguel.
Mr. Balkman led the way for the Beermen with 31 points and 10 rebounds with June Mar Fajardo adding 21 points and 18 rebounds.
Chris Ross and Mr. Cabagnot, for their part, added 16 and 14 points, respectively.
Diamon Simpson, meanwhile, paced the Aces with 19 points and 15 boards.
Simon Enciso also had 19 while Vic Manuel finished with 15 for Alaska, which continued to play sans Chris Banchero (personal emergency) and Calvin Abueva (team suspension).
“Credit Alaska for making it tough for us in the first half. We’re fortunate to have been able to come back in the second half on the strength of our defense,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria after their win.
San Miguel tries to go for the jugular in Game Three set for Wednesday.
