SAN MIGUEL Beer center Gabby Espinas (center) manages to make a pass despite the suffocating double-team brought to bear by Alaska’s Vic Manuel and Cris Exciminiano late in the fourth quarter of last night’s pulsating Game 4 of the PBA Finals at Philsports Arena in Pasig. AUGUST DELA CRUZ
THERE were two endgames in Game 4 last night and, for a change, San Miguel Beer didn’t collapse in both.
The Beermen fanned their wafer-thin hopes of retaining the Smart Bro-PBA Philippine Cup title, executing with amazing precision in the stretch to pound out a thrilling 110-104 overtime victory over Alaska at Philsports Arena and take the championship playoffs to a fifth game.
It was Alaska’s turn to go cold in the dying minutes of regulation, with the Aces blowing a 93-82 lead with 3:31 to play and needing a Cyrus Baguio triple at the buzzer to forge extension at 98-all.
Vic Manuel scored the first two baskets of overtime for the resuscitated Aces before Chris Ross became the unlikely offensive anchor for San Miguel by touching off a telling 9-0 spurt.
The situation remains uphill for the Beermen, who will try to prune down a 3-1 deficit in Game 5 on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
Breaks in endgame
“This is what we have been waiting for— to get the breaks in the endgame,” San Miguel coach Leo Austria told reporters.
The Beermen had lost the first three games because of offensive implosions.
“They (Beermen) accepted the challenge; they just didn’t want to be swept,” Austria said. “You can never know what will happen. I told the team before the game that a miracle is always just around the corner.”
Alex Cabagnot and Yancy de Ocampo also had four points each in overtime for the Beermen, who were led by Marcio Lassiter’s 26 points and the 21 points and 14 rebounds of Gabby Espinas.
Arwind Santos also had a double-double with 11 and 12, plus a key block on a driving Baguio that preserved a 107-102 San Miguel lead.
Vic Manuel had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Aces.
The scores:
SAN MIGUEL 110—Lassiter 26, Espinas 21, Cabagnot 16, Ross 11, Santos 11, Tubid 8, De Ocampo 6, Lutz 4, Reyes 4, Heruela 3, Arana 0, Omolon 0, Semerad 0.
ALASKA 104—Manuel 20, Abueva 14, Hontiveros 14, Casio 13, Banchero 12, Baguio 11, Thoss 9, Exciminiano 5, Jazul 4, Baclao 2, Dela Rosa 0, Menk 0.
Quarters: 20-28, 43-49, 69-77, 98-98, 110-104