SMART CLARK GIGA CITY, Pampanga, Philippines — Don’t count out the heart of a champion.
Shoved to a 13-point hole in the third quarter, holder San Miguel Beer furiously clawed back and got the job done via an 89-82 victory over Meralco last night in the PBA Philippine Cup bubble.
Mo Tautuaa and Alex Cabagnot presided over a searing run in the fourth that turned things around for an SMB team that found ways to survive the Bolts’ tough challenge en route to their third straight win at the AUF Sports Arena Powered by Smart 5G.
The streaking Beermen grabbed a share of third at 4-2 while the Bolts saw their two-game roll snapped and dropped to 3-3.
“They came out of the beginning of the half strong but coach told us to keep fighting, keep grinding, keep pushing no matter what, until we get to the end,” said Tautuaa, who punched in 23 points plus five rebounds for coach Leo Austria.
“They had us in the beginning but we just kept going (and were rewarded with a win),” he added.
The Bolts threatened to rip the game apart with a huge 13-0 run in the penultimate stanza to seize a 65-52 tear. Any other team would have panicked but not the seasoned Beermen.
Down by nine at the start of the fourth, SMB launched a punishing 21-4 blast anchored on Tautuaa and Cabagnot to reverse the tide and wrest an 81-73 tear.
The Bolts got to within four but San Miguel refused to yield control and iced it with cold-blooded treys from Cabagnot and Chris Ross.
Meanwhile, pacesetting TNT Tropang Giga zero in on a quarterfinal berth when they tangle with embattled NLEX at 6:30 tonight, shooting for a sixth straight win.
Phoenix Super LPG (4-2) unleashes newly reinstated Calvin Abueva for the second time in the bubble in their 4 p.m. duel with Alaska Milk (4-3).
Abueva returned with a bang after a 16-month suspension, dishing out a comprehensive 21-point, 13-rebound, seven-assist performance as he contributed greatly to the Fuel Masters’ 114-110 verdict over NLEX last Monday.