MANILA (UPDATED) — Defending champion San Miguel Beer took advantage of a misfiring TNT for an easy 111-98 win to open their PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series at Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.
Marcio Lassiter led the way with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
June Mar Fajardo and Alex Cabagnot, who did most of the damage in the second half, added 21 and 20 points, respectively.
“(Against TNT) we have to keep on fighting, hindi natin kailangang ibigay (ang lead),” he said, adding that his players' chemistry was evident in the court.
“I saw the players, nag-e-enjoy sila. They know how to win, kaya siguro sila ganun. It’s a blessing in disguise kasi for me, a first win is important in a best-of-seven series.”
The Beermen clamped down on the KaTropa in the opening period, limiting them to just 16 points while piling 32 of their own.
TNT missed 20 3-point attempts (6 of 26) for a dismal 23%, while San Miguel was superb from the same distance, hitting 16 of 26 for 61%.
Even Austria noticed that the KaTropa struggled scoring.
“Medyo flat sila, I don't know why. Maybe it's because of their (quarterfinal series) against GlobalPort.”
Jayson Castro (27 points, 8 assists) and Kelly Williams (24) combined for 51 points for TNT, which remains winless against San Miguel in the conference.
The scores:
SMB 111 — Lassiter 22, Fajardo 21, Cabagnot 20, Santos 15, Espinas 13, Garcia 9, Tubid 6, Ross 5, McCarthy 0, Agovida 0, Y. De Ocampo 0.
TNT 98 — Castro 27, Williams 24, Tautuaa 11, Ganuelas-Rosser 10, R. De Ocampo 7, Fonacier 7, Pogoy 6, Reyes 4, Seigle 2, Rosario 0, Carey 0, Golla 0, Sumalinog 0, Rosales 0.
Quarterscores: 32-16, 56-46, 83-73, 111-98.
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