February 15 ------ THE PBA 48th Season Commissioner’s Cup championship belongs to San Miguel, thanks to an epic comeback in Game Six. CJ Perez, Jericho Cruz and Chris Ross nailed critical shots in the final stretch as San Miguel beat Magnolia, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, gifting the franchise a 29th league title in a Valentines’ Day to remember for the Beermen and their fans.
Perez and Cruz conspired in a critical run that enabled the Beermen to come alive after trailing by 13 points, 67-54, in the third quarter and by 11 at 90-79 with only minutes to go in the final quarter. Chris Ross nailed the corner three with 1:23 left to give San Miguel the lead for good, 100-99. The Beermen continued to wax hot with Perez draining a three with 48.7 seconds to increase the gap to four points.
When Aris Dionisio's last-gasp three-point attempt bounced off the rim, the Beermen wrapped up the best-of-seven series, 4-2, while extending a Magnolia drought since it last won a championship in the 2018 Governors’ Cup. Paul Lee nailed a three-pointer to put Magnolia ahead, 98-92, in what looked like a pivotal moment for the Hotshots. But Perez responded with a lay-up, and Cruz had a steal that led to a three-point conversion to cut the gap to 98-97. The momentum shift was just too difficult to overcome for Magnolia by then. “It feels great. Everybody worked hard for his – from the coaches to the staff to the PTs, and especially the players. They didn’t give up,” said San Miguel coach Jorge Gallent after winning his first title as PBA coach.
Perez finished with 28 points on his way to winning the Finals MVP trophy while June Mar Fajardo collected 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Beermen, whose 103-99 lead was the biggest of the contest. Bennie Boatwright had 19 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists for the Beermen as he made up for his 1-of-8 shooting from threes. Lee had 25 points in a losing cause on his 35th birthday while import Tyler Bey had 18 points and eight rebounds for the Hotshots.
The scores:
San Miguel 104 – Perez 28, Fajardo 19, Boatwright 19, Cruz 12, Trollano 10, Ross 9, Tautuaa 4, Enciso 2, Teng 1, Lassiter 0, Brondial 0.
Magnolia 102 – Lee 25, Bey 18, Sangalang 16, Jalalon 12, Barroca 11, Dela Rosa 9, Dionisio 7, Abueva 4, Tratter 0, Escoto 0.
Quarters: 22-26; 46-51; 73-82; 104-102.
Source: spin.ph
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