MANILA, Philippines—Game 3 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals saw San Miguel Beer in total control early when it led by 17 in the second quarter against TNT.
The story, however, was what came after as the KaTropa went on a monumental rally to turn things around on their way to a 115-105 win and a 2-1 series edge.
Down 36-19, TNT racked up 24 unanswered points—the second-most in PBA Finals history—that left San Miguel Beer in a daze.
“I think it was a culmination of things. Our defense found a rhythm and we found a comfort level out there with how they trying to play, and then offensively we started to make shots,” said TNT active consultant Mark Dickel.
“Anytime we can combine making shots with playing good games, we tend to go on runs. And we get stops, then we could push the ball.”
At the forefront of the blistering run was Terrence Jones, who unleashed 16 of his 37 points in the pivotal second period.
Jones picked the Beermen apart with his all-around brilliance. He grabbed 18 rebounds and dished out nine assists with five blocks to boot.
The former NBA veteran also had plenty of help from the locals with Roger Pogoy adding 29 points, Don Trollano having a career-game with 18 points and Troy Rosario and Jayson Castro making big plays in the crucial stages.
“We took a 17-point lead but we let them play their game in the second quarter. We scrambled a bit on offense and defense and panicked a little bit when they made their run,” SMB head coach Leo Austra admitted.
“They were able to control the game in the second half.”