SMB seizes lead

Marcio Lassiter. PBA IMAGES

There’s rest for the weary, but only San Miguel Beer can afford it this time.

After breaking down TNT KaTropa with clinical precision on both ends in the second half, the Beermen moved ahead in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup title playoffs, 2-1, with a 109-97 victory at Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday night.

The victory prompted coach Leo Austria to give his charges their first break in three weeks.

The Texters will also take a much-needed breather on Monday, but coach Nash Racela has special instructions to his players after losing for the second straight game and looking very overmatched since winning the series opener by a hair.

San Miguel wriggled out of a very tight first half as Alex Cabagnot spearheaded a dominant final 24 minutes with 18 of his 28 coming in the last two frames.

And the San Miguel defense has clamped down hard on whoever it needs to stop, with rookie sensation RR Pogoy, after tossing in a career-high 27 points in a 104-102 series-opening win, held scoreless for the second straight game and Jason Castro limited to six points in the first three quarters.

“It was a hard-fought game and we didn’t have any adjustments (for today),” Austria said. “All we did was keep our intensity high.”

Color developed at halftime when standby TNT import Mike Myers and Governors’ Cup reinforcement Michael Craig got involved in a shoving encounter with San Miguel fans and team officials on the way back to the locker room.

Austria dismissed that incident as something borne out of the intensity of both teams, but was quick to add that nothing can distract his Beermen from the real task at hand.

“I told the players that we have to be focused,” Austria said. “We have a different agenda [and that is to win]. But we will not back down [from incidents like that].”

TNT had 23 turnovers—10 of them by Castro—which resulted to 26 San Miguel points.