MANILA – TNT Tropang Giga put on a huge defensive stop in the endgame for a razor-thin 89-88 win over San Miguel Beermen in Game 1 of the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals last night at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
Holding to an 89-88 advantage in the final nine seconds of the game, Tropang Giga center John Paul Erram foiled the game-winning attempt of Beermen’s Marcio Lassiter to secure TNT’s series-opener win.
Erram finished the match with 15 points, while Roger Pogoy led the Tropang Giga offense with 23 markers.
Jayson Castro and Jeth Troy Rosario added 16 and 14 markers, respectively.
TNT was actually ahead 81-71 with over six minutes in the game but a furious San Miguel Beer uprising trimmed the deficit to 79-81 before Castro drilled a three-pointer to give Tropang Giga a breathing room at 84-79.
The Beermen rallied to within one point twice but baskets from Pogoy and Erram widened Tropang Giga’s lead to 89-84. Jaymar Perez, however, connected two layups to pull the San Miguel Beer to within 88-89 with 36 seconds left.
Perez finished the game with 23 points. June Mar Fajardo added double-double 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Arwind Santos and Lassiter contributed 12 and 10 points, for the Beermen.
In the first game, Magnolia Pambansang Manok Hotshots erased an early deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Meralco Bolts, 88-79, in Game 1 of their best-of-seven semifinals series.
Down 63-69 with 10 minutes in the fourth quarter, Calvin Abueva split his free throws and drilled a triple to trim the deficit to 67-69.
Two free throws by Paul Lee and an inside hit by Ian Sangalang gave the Hotshots a 71-69 advantage.
Following misses from both teams, Magnolia widened the lead to 75-70 on back-to-back inside hits by Rafael Reavis and Sangalang but a two-pointer by Meralco’s Kier John Quinto cut the deficit to 72-75.
The Hotshots then went for the kill with Andy Mark Barroca connecting a triple, Abueva drilling back-to-back inside hits and Jiovani Jalalon with a layup for its biggest lead of 88-74.
Sangalang ended with 18 points and eight rebounds, Lee contributed 17 markers, including three outside conversions, for the Hotshots. Quinto led the Bolts with double-double 14 markers and 10 assists./PN
BOX SCORE:
TNT 89 – Pogoy 23, Castro 16, Erram 15, Rosario 14, M. Williams 7, Montalbo 5, Khobuntin 4, Marcelo 3, Reyes 2, Heruela 0.
SAN MIGUEL 88 – Perez 23, Fajardo 13, Santos 12, Lassiter 10, Cabagnot 8, Ross 8, Romeo 8, Tautuaa 6, Gamalinda 0.
Quarterscores: 19-17, 42-41, 71-60, 89-88.
