WHAT TNT has thrown at San Miguel, the Beermen have thrown back at the Tropang Giga, setting the stage for a deciding Game 7 in their side of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinal face-off.
Thoroughly beaten in Game 6, the Beermen came through with their own dominant beating of the Tropang Giga Friday at the DHVSU Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga, hacking out a 103-90 victory to force a 3-3 deadlock in the race-to-four-games showdown.
The two teams clash in a do-or-die duel Sunday.
With great execution and great shooting, the Beermen avenged their 90-110 blowout loss Wednesday and thus extended the back-and-forth pattern in the series.
Moala Tautuaa, Marcio Lassiter, June Mar Fajardo and Arwind Santos were the top performers as the Beermen foiled TNT's first series closeout try.
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Tautuaa played big off the bench, top scoring with 24 points that went with five rebounds while Lassiter was the main spark plug in their early breakaway and finished with 19 markers, including 5-of-8 three-pointers.
Fajardo (11 points and 14 rebounds) and Santos (13 and 10) were also major factors with their double-double outings while Terrence Romeo added 16 points with six assists and two boards.
Lassiter had made 14 in the first half with 4-of-6 treys while Tautuaa had tallied 12 on a perfect 5-of-5 field shooting and 2-of-2 free throws.
Clicking together, the Beermen stormed to a 53-38 halftime lead and put the game further away from the Tropang Giga on an 8-0 opening roll in the second half.
Santos, with two three-point bombs, and Lassiter, with a twinner, connived in that start, and the team later led by as many as 26 before TNT had its mini-rally in the fourth, coming to within 10 inside the last two minutes.
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But the Beermen were hardly fazed, with Lassiter draining the last of his three-pointers to all but wrap things up at 101-88.
At the height of their second-half run, CJ Perez had his highlight plays, including a jam off an alley-oop pass from Romeo. (SB)
The scores:
SMB 103 - Tautuaa 24, Lassiter 19, Romeo 16, Santos 13, Fajardo 11, Cabagnot 9, Perez 8, Ross 3, Pessumal 0, Zamar 0, Gotladera 0, Comboy 0, Gamalinda 0, Sena 0.
TNT 90 - Reyes 16, Castro 16, Erram 11, Rosario 10, M. Williams 9, Heruela 9, Montalbo 6, Pogoy 6, K. Williams 5, Khobuntin 2, Exciminiano 0, Alejandro 0, Marcelo 0, Javier 0, Mendoza 0.
Quarters:27-21, 53-38, 86-62, 103-90
