KIA fended off a late rally by defending Philippine Cup champion San Miguel for a 78-75 squeaker in a preseason tune-up clash on Tuesday at Claret School in Quezon City.
Alex Cabagnot and Arwind Santos botched their potential game-tying three-pointer in the final 11.4 seconds for the Beermen as the Picanto came away with the slim victory.
Kia got contributions from across the board led by Jackson Corpuz who led the way with 12 points, eight rebounds, four steals, two assists, and two blocks.
Philip Paniamogan added 11, five boards, five dimes, and two steals, Glenn Khobuntin had nine points, four rebounds, and two assists, and Bong Galanza contributed nine in the victory.
Mark Yee drilled the go-ahead trey with 2:51remaining to break the stalemate and put the Picanto ahead, 76-73.
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Khobuntin's shaky free throw shooting, however, left the door wide open for San Miguel as Cabagnot continued to knock on its door in the waning seconds before the tough misses late.
Marcio Lassiter paced the Beermen with 16 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Cabagnot got 15 markers, five boards, and three dimes.
Matt Ganuelas-Rosser came off the bench and scored 10 points and nine rebounds for San Miguel, which sat out four-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo. (DL)
