PBA 3×3: San Miguel wins leg 5, denies TNT three-peat bid

San Miguel Beer’s Ken Bono tries to score against two TNT defenders during a PBA 3×3 game. PBA 3×3 PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines-San Miguel crashed the TNT party and emerged Leg 5 champion of the PBA 3×3 Third Conference on Sunday.

Jeff Manday and Ken Bono accounted for half of the Beermen’s output in a 21-12 victory against the history-seeking Tropang Giga to run away with the title before a capacity Father’s Day crowd at Robinsons Place in Antipolo.

The Beermen’s first leg crown this conference was worth P100,000.

San Miguel never looked back after Manday scored on a lay-up to break a tight 7-7 contest almost at the halfway mark of the finals.

Manday’s basket sparked a 9-2 run as the Beermen pulled away for good at 16-9 with 3:31 to play.

The spunky San Miguel guard, who is coming off a hand injury sustained last conference, finished with seven points and a game-high nine rebounds, Bono added 6, while Wendell Comboy and Bambam Gamalinda added five and three, respectively.

It was the first leg title for San Miguel, coached by Boyzie Zamar, since topping Leg 6 during the second conference. Only Bono and Manday were part of that championship unit.

San Miguel eliminated Barangay Ginebra in the first round of the knockout stage, 21-15, and then survived a hard-fighting Cavitex side in the semis, 21-20, to enter the finals.

TNT meanwhile, leaned on the 17-point explosion of Vosotros in the quarterfinals to down Purefoods, 21-17, before making short work of Terrafirma, 21-15, in the semis to arrange the showdown with San Miguel.

The loss was obviously a letdown in TNT’s bid for history of becoming the first team to win three straight leg championships. The runner-up finish rewarded the franchise with the P50,000 cash prize.

Vosotros almost singlehandedly carried the fight for the team, finishing with nine points and five rebounds, while Samboy De Leon was the only other Tropang Giga who scored with three points.

Cavitex took third place with a 21-14 beating of Terrafirma for the P30,000 prize money.

The scores:

Third place

Cavitex (21) – Rivero 8, Galanza 8, Saldua 5, Rangel 0.

Terrafirma (14) – Alanes 5, Taladua 5, Cenal 4, Cachuela 0.

Finals

San Miguel (21) – Manday 7, Bono 6, Comboy 5, Gamalinda 3.

TNT (12) – Vosotros 9, De Leon 3, Acuno 0, Mendoza 0.

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