PBA: Columbia escapes San Miguel in OT

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MANILA, Philippines—Columbian’s trio came through when it that mattered and got a boost from its unheralded cog to slip past San Miguel Beer in overtime, 134-132, Sunday in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

Import Lester Prosper had 40 points while rookie CJ Perez and Rashawn McCarthy added 34 and 27, respectively, to pounce on a lackadaisical performance by the Beermen.

But it was Glenn Khobuntin’s shots late in the stretch—both in regulation and in the extra period—which snuffed out the hopes of San Miguel’s fightback. He wound up with eight in the game.

“Even though we lost (straight) three games, they were still there—even against a champion team,” said Dyip’s coach Johnedel Cardel, whose squad tabbed its second win in eight outings.

San Miguel drew a near-balanced scoring from its starters, with 26 points coming from import Charles Rhodes and 24 more from June Mar Fajardo, but the Beermen couldn’t sink the shots that would’ve kept the Beermen from dropping to a 2-5 card in the tourney.

Columbian tackles 7-2 NorthPort this Wednesday, also at the Big Dome.

San Miguel, meanwhile, goes up against 2-7 NLEX on Friday at MOA Arena in Pasay.