JAY R. GOTERA
Saudi Gazette
MANILA — The top-seeded San Miguel Beermen came from behind to knock out the upset-conscious Star Hotshots, 103-99, in their sudden-death PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals playoff Tuesday night.
For a while, it looked like eighth-seeded Star would reprise its upset win against SMB Sunday as the Hotshots led by 11 points, 85-74, at the end of the third quarter.
But the Beermen proved to be the steadier and more determined team at clutch time as Chris Ross came up with hustle plays and crucial baskets to finally send the Hotshots packing up for a long vacation.
SMB thus arranged a best-of-5 semifinals duel with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, who swept the Barangay Ginebra Kings in two games.
SMB import Tyler Wilkerson bounced back from a sub-par performance Sunday, exploding for 46 points and 17 rebounds.
Marcio Lassiter added 17 points, including three triples while Arwind Santos chipped in with 10 markers.
Ross filled the stats sheet with 13 points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals. More than the numbers, Ross made the crucial plays in the endgame, diving for the loose ball to save a crucial possession and scoring SMB’s last four points to seal the win.
Still high from their monumental conquest of the Beermen Sunday, the Hotshots raced to an early lead, posting an 11-point lead, 32-21, at the start of the second quarter.
The Beermen came charging back, cutting the deficit to two, 50-52, at halftime.
The Hotshots sustained their fire after the break, taking an 85-74 lead before settling for a nine-point advantage, 87-78, entering the final quarter.
Once again, the Beermen led by Wilkerson rallied furiously, leveling the count at 97-all on a follow-up shot by Santos with 3:42 left on the clock.
An Ian Sangalang basket gave Star back the lead, 99-97. It was at this point when Ross took over the game.
After June Mar Fajardo tied the score once again with a basket, Ross dived to the floor to save what could have been a San Miguel turnover and then called a timeout to save a possession.
He then grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a drive to give back the lead to SMB, 101-99.
Ross then drew a foul on a transition attack, sinking two free throws to pad SMB’s lead to four, 103-99, with 58.6 remaining. That proved to be the final score as the Hotshots finally wilted under pressure.
Import Ricardo Ratliffe once again led Star with 24 points and 16 rebounds. PJ Simon added 21 markers while Marc Pingris and Alex Mallari collected 18 and 10 points, respectively.
Game Friday: Alaska Aces vs. Tropang TNT (Quarterfinals Game 3).
