MANILA, Philippines – After losing Marc Pingris to an eye injury in the early moments of the third quarter, it appeared all was lost for the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers.
They lost Pingris and their 10-point lead as Rain or Shine threatened to steal the game with a huge third quarter storm. The Painters outscored the Mixers, 34-18, in the third as they took a six-point advantage, 76-70, into the final 12 minutes of play.
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Somebody had to step up for the injured Pingris. And it was rookie Ian Sangalang, who heeded the call.
“Lagi lang naman ako positive pag nabibigyan ako ng pagkakataon,†Sangalang told reporters after helping the Mixers gain a 3-1 series lead with a 93-90 victory on Friday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
[It was a] big challenge sa akin kasi si kuya Ping wala. Sobrang energetic nya eh. Makikita mo naman kung gaano magpakamatay sa court. So kailangan gampanan ko yung role niya, kailangan lumaban ako,†Sangalang added.
The second overall pick made the most of the opportunity and finished with a career-high 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting that went with eight boards in a series-high 23 minutes of play.
The 6-7 rookie shrugged off the pressure and scored a crucial basket and split his charities in the closing seconds that served as enough buffer to fend off Rain or Shine’s rally.
“Gusto ko laging makatulong sa team, so binibigay ko yung best ko palagi. Hindi ako pwedeng lalambot-lambot dun, syempre very physical yung kalaban, so dapat lagi kang ready,†Sangalang said.
True enough, the former San Sebastian big man did not hesitate to barrel his way to basket against the Extra Rice Inc. tandem of JR Quinahan and Beau Belga.
San Mig coach Tim Cone lauded Sangalang’s gallant effort saying that his prized rookie is now more comfortable than he was before at the start of the playoffs.
“He looks confident out there. Now he’s getting more comfortable with our system,†Cone said.
But Sangalang is just scratching the surface of his potential with Cone’s triangle.
“Medyo nakukuha ko na. Konting-konti na lang, magiging one hundred percent na talaga,†said Sangalang on his grasp of the complicated triangle offense.