Reigning three-time champion San Miguel Beer went on a big surge in the final five minutes to beat rival TNT, 88-76, to remain undefeated in the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup Saturday at University of San Agustin Gym in Iloilo.
The Beermen ended the game on a 17-5 run, led by Alex Cabagnot and Arwind Santos, to pull away from a 71-deadlock in the last five minutes and 10 seconds.
Cabagnot and Santos combined for 12 points in the killer stretch for San Miguel, which is the lone unbeaten team in the league at 3-0.
Santos finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks while Cabagnot also recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. June Mar Fajardo led all scorers with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field.
Troy Rosario scored a team-high 15 points that went with a game-best 13 rebounds for the KaTropa, who slipped to 1-2. TNT led by as much as 12, 24-12, in the first quarter.
TNT star Jayson Castro, who saw multiple defenders thrown at him, struggled mightily on the offensive end, scoring nine points on 3-of-16 shooting with four turnovers in 28 minutes. He did have eight rebounds and eight assists.