Beermen move closer to PBA Finals, escape Ginebra in Game 5

Sports

THE San Miguel Beermen held off the Barangay Ginebra Kings, 115-109, in Game 5 of their best-of-seven semifinal series in the 50th PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday night, Jan. 15, at the Araneta Coliseum.

Bouncing back from a 91-105 loss in Game 4, the Beermen seized a crucial 3-2 lead in the series, needing just one more win to advance to the Finals for a chance to defend their crown.

A win in Game 6 on Friday, Jan. 16, will give the Beermen the right to face the TNT Tropang 5G in the Finals. The Tropa booked the first championship ticket after winning their own Final 4 series with the Meralco Bolts, 4-1.

Held to single-digit outputs in the last two games, June Mar Fajardo finally played true to form, bucking a hurting shoulder to finish with 21 points and 11.

CJ Perez added 20 markers, Mo Tautuaa tallied 18 markers and nine rebounds, Marcio Lassiter chipped in 16 points, and Don Trollano had 13 markers in San Miguel’s balanced offensive attack.

Giving Ginebra more headache was Chris Ross, who played a key role in the Beermen’s victory with nine points, eight assists, three rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.

For the now beleaguered Ginebra, Scottie Thompson was the high man with 20 points while RJ Abarrientos, Stephen Holt, and Japeth Aguilar had 18, 17, and 16, respectively.

THE SCORES:

SAN MIGUEL BEER (115) - Fajardo 21, Perez 20, Tautuaa 18, Lassiter 16, Trollano 13, Ross 9, Cruz 8, Brondial 5, Cahilig 5, Tiongson 0, Rosales 0.

GINEBRA (109) - Thompson 20, Abarrientos 18, Holt 17, J. Aguilar 16, Cu 8, Gray 8, David 7, R. Aguilar 6, Torres 5, Pinto 3, Rosario 1.QUARTERSCORES: 25-26, 58-49, 90-78, 115-109.(CCM)