After giving in to complacency in its previous matches in the PBA Philippine Cup, San Miguel aims to put that behind as it secured a win over Ginebra.
San Miguel pondered hard on one lesson before plunging into the Holy Week break: the game ends only after the final buzzer.
Last April 16, the team squandered a double-digit lead and eventually lost in overtime against Magnolia in their PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup match.
Fortunately for the Beermen, that was not the case on Friday, April 25.
SMB made sure it would protect an early advantage and went on to pummel Ginebra, 104-93, to claim their third win in four outings at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
“That’s the lesson we’ve learned because we’re leading by 14 points in a certain period of time, and we have a tendency to relax,” said San Miguel mentor Leo Austria during the post-game presser.
“Before the third quarter, I reminded them that this is pivotal, and we don’t want to relax because of what we experienced. Actually, not only against Magnolia. In the last three games, when we’re leading, we have a tendency to relax.”
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Austria's reminders got across.
Behind June Mar Fajardo, Cjay Perez, and Jericho Cruz, the Beermen opened up a 25-11 lead in the first quarter before ending halftime with a commanding 48-30 buffer.
Instead of becoming complacent, things only got better for the powerhouse team that is heavily favored to win it all in the All-Filipino conference.
But with lofty expectations, there should be the ability to execute for 48 minutes.
“I think, because of those reminders, we want to have the killer instinct. We have to develop that because a lot of teams are getting better and better, and we know that we are the target of every opponent,” Austria said.
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Perez definitely showed that killer instinct after dropping 11 of his 23 points in the fourth period where the Gin Kings threatened to mount a comeback.
After Ginebra trimmed the gap to 75-87 with under nine minutes remaining in the game, Perez unloaded a four-pointer and followed it up with another long bomb, this time from the three-point line, to restore order.
It was all San Miguel from there.
Don Trollano poured 19 points, Fajardo had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Cruz scored 11 for the Beermen, who drew a whopping 43 points from the bench.
“We cannot afford to lose against Ginebra so that we cannot lose our confidence against TNT,” Austria said.
“But as far as our team is concerned, we have to be consistent in what we are doing.”
Meanwhile, Troy Rosario saw his 24-point, eight-rebound, three-assist and one-steal performance go down the drain as the Gin Kings slid to 1-1.
Stephen Holt fired 16 points he spiked with five rebounds, two assists and two blocks, while Jamie Malonzo shot three triples on his way to 16 points.
San Miguel vs Ginebra Scores:
SAN MIGUEL 104 – Perez 23, Trollano 19, Fajardo 18, Cruz 11, Tiongson 10, Lassiter 10, Rosales 8, Calma 4, Teng 1, Brondial 0, Cahilig 0, Tautuaa 0, Ross 0.
GINEBRA 93 – Rosario 24, Holt 16, Malonzo 16, Thompson 14, J.Aguilar 12, Abarrientos 6, Pinto 3, Ahanmisi 2, R.Aguilar 0, Adamos 0, Cu 0.
Quarterscores: 25-11, 48-30, 83-65, 104-93.