San Miguel rallies past TNT

PBA IMAGES

San Miguel Beer roared back from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to frustrate TNT KaTropa, with a 107-96 Petron Saturday Special victory in Calasiao, Pangasinan putting the Beermen back in serious top four contention in the PBA Governors’ Cup.

Kevin Murphy hit two straight triples during the most critical time of the endgame as the Beermen won for the second straight game to improve to 4-4 at Calasiao Sports Complex.

Murphy, an NBA veteran, missed a triple double by just one assist after compiling 27 points that went with 10 rebounds.

Chris Ross and Marcio Lassiter also had key three-point conversions in the fourth period, which was played in a very physical manner to say the least.

The Texters lost for the first time in four games and fell to 4-5 and would need to sweep their remaining two games to have a shot at a top four berth.

Marqus Blakely had 26 points, 18 rebounds and eight feeds for TNT, which went through a long drought in the fourth period.

RR Pogoy added 21 points before he was carried out of the floor late in the fourth after twisting an ankle during a heated rebound play.

The entire starting lineup of the Beermen finished in twin digits, and coach Leo Austria got a sixth man to toss in double figures with Kelly Nabong finishing with 12 points.

Terrence Romeo had 18 points and former MVP Kelly Williams 11 for the Texters, who will wind up their elimination round schedule against powerhouses Magnolia and Barangay Ginebra.

Advancing to the playoffs in the top four carries a huge premium, as they would need to beat lower-ranked foes just once to march on to the Final Four.

With the win, the Beermen can win as many as seven games, which could prove enough to make it to the upper half.

TNT, on the other hand, can only get to six wins at the most, and if Phoenix and either Blackwater or Alaska win a seventh game, the door would be shut on the Texters as far as a top four berth is concerned.

Meanwhile, Alaska and Blackwater break a third place tie Sunday, with the winner getting a huge lift in the top four race for a twice-to-beat privilege that goes with it.

Tied at 6-2, the Aces and the Elite will be coming off contrasting fates, with Alaska shooting for a followup to an 83-73 decision of ousted Columbian last week.

But while they did win that game, coach Alex Compton wasn’t exactly happy at how they carved that one out.

Tip-off is at 6:45 p.m. at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, with the winner gaining a tie for the lead with Barangay Ginebra and Magnolia.

“We need to be better against (Blackwater),” he told the Inquirer after that win, knowing full well that they will be up against a stronger team compared to the Dyip.

“We know what’s at stake in that game,” he explained. “And our target is to go 3-1 (in our last four games) and it’s good that we got the first (of those three wins).”

The Elite, on the other hand, will be coming off a very disappointing performance against Magnolia, which blew them off the Cuneta Astrodome floor last Oct. 10, 133-99.

In the 4:30 p.m. contest, Meralco, the losing finalist here the last two seasons, shoots for a third straight victory in its battle with another struggling side in Rain or Shine to prop up its hopes of advancing past the eliminations.

The scores:

San Miguel 107 – Murphy 27, Standhardinger 21, Santos 18, Lassiter 13, Ross 10, Cabagnot 6, De Ocampo 0, Heruela 0, Mamaril 0.

TNT 96 – Blakely 26, Pogoy 21, Romeo 18, Williams 11, Cruz 7, Trollano 6, Carey 4, Rosario 2, Garcia 1, Reyes 0, Paredes 0.

Quarters: 27-25, 50-54, 75-80, 107-96.