DON Trollano and Jericho Cruz played clutch at endgame and San Miguel Beer survived Barangay Ginebra's late charge, pulling off a 95-92 decision to keep a perfect run in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Friday.
The Beermen nearly squandered an 18-point spread but found saviors in Trollano and Cruz as they preserved their unblemished card and kept their spot as solo leader in the season-ending tourney at 4-0.
Trollano had a five-point binge while Cruz had a big twinner down the stretch as the Beermen fended off the Kings' searing chase and avoided a slide in the chart behind NLEX (4-1) and NorthPort (4-1).
But it was a mere escape.
"We have to do a better job defending," said San Miguel coach Jorge Gallent, ruing their near fall in the game where they led by 18 at 84-66 early in the fourth.
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Also a big help was June Mar Fajardo and Moala Tautuaa surviving early fouls. Both had four each going to the halftime huddle.
"Good thing June Mar and Mo didn't get their fifth foul. And though having four fouls in the first half, they continued to play defense," said Gallent.
But the bigger things for the Beermen really were Trollano's and Cruz' clutch hits with the Kings threatening at 91-93.
"I just stayed composed. Alam naman natin na never say die ang Ginebra," said Trollano, gaining the Best Player of the Game honors with a concluding statsline of 15 points and eight rebounds.
Cruz knocked in the clincher with 33 ticks left and finished with eight points on top of two assists, two steals and one rebound.
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CJ Perez had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds as Fajardo collected 14 markers and 10 boards in his own double-double outing.
Tautuaa and Terrence Romeo chipped in 12 and 11, respectively, in SMB's escape win against the Ginebra side whom they sent down to 3-2.
The Kings missed a chance to forge a three-way tie on top with the Road Warriors and the Batang Pier, and instead dropped to a tie for fourth with the Blackwater Bossing. (SB)
The Scores:
SAN MIGUEL 95 - Perez 18, Trollano 15, Fajardo 14, Tautuaa 12, Romeo 11, Brondial 8, Cruz 8, Lassiter 6, Ross 3, Manuel 0, Enciso 0.
GINEBRA 92 - J.Aguilar 17, Ahanmisi 16, Pringle 15, Malonzo 14, Standhardinger 14, Tenorio 8, Onwubere 8, David 0, Gumaru 0, Cu 0, Pinto 0.
QUARTERS: 33-18, 56-50, 82-66, 95-92
