Surging San Miguel survives Blackwater in OT

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MANILA, Philippines — Defending champion San Miguel Beer hung on to beat Blackwater, 90-88, in overtime for its fourth straight win in the PBA Philippine Cup at AUF Sports Arena & Cultural Center in Angeles, Pampanga.

Mo Tautuaa bullied his way to 26 points and 14 rebounds for the Beermen, who shut down the Elite in the final two minutes and 23 seconds of the game.

San Miguel finished the game on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a go-ahead layup by Chris Ross, 89-88, with 2:08 remaining.

Blackwater had plenty of chances to regain the upper hand but the Elite committed two crucial errors and missed their final four shots.

Marcio Lassiter added 12 points while Alex Cabagnot collected 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for SMB, who improved to 5-2. Ross scored five of his eight points in extra time.

Ed Daquioag scored 20 points, including the game-tying triple, 84-all, for Blackwater with 1:17 left that forced overtime.

The Elite, losers of three consecutive games, dropped to 2-4.

The game marked the PBA’s return after a string of postponements due to a “suspect case” of coronavirus involving a referee and one Blackwater player.

It was the Elite’s first game since they lost to the league-leading TNT Tropang Giga last Oct. 22.