MANILA, Philippines -- The San Miguel Beermen pulled out all the right stops and escaped with a 92-90 win over crowd darlings Ginebra San Miguel to gain a 1-0 lead in their best-of-five PBA Commissioner's Cup semis series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday.
The game, which saw the Beermen take a 10-point lead and the Gin Kings a six-point cushion, turned into a see-saw affair down the stretch.
After San Miguel put up a five-point margin, 90-85, with 2:37 remaining following a Bennie Boatwright layup, Ginebra tied the game with exactly a minute left with an and-one play by Christian Standhardinger and a layup by Tony Bishop.
On the other end, Boatwright tried to hit a dagger 3-pointer, but he missed.
But CJ Perez recovered the ball, and the extra possession led to a split from the line by June Mar Fajardo as the Beermen took a 91-90 lead with 23 seconds left.
On the other end, Standhardinger missed a deuce that would have given Ginebra the lead.
Chris Ross was then fouled on the other end, and the guard, who was seemingly hurt, missed both.
Fajardo was able to secure the rebound and was fouled. He made the first and missed the second free throw, giving Ginebra a window of opportunity to tie or take the lead.
The Gin Kings, however, threw the ball away as San Miguel secured a steal, sealing the close victory.
CJ Perez led the Beermen with a stellar performance of 26 points, five rebounds and three assists.
He shot 10-of-17 from the field.
Boatwright followed suit with 23 points, 12 boards and five dimes.
Standhardinger led the charge for the Gin Kings with 21 points and 11 boards.
Bishop had 20 markers and 11 rebounds.
San Miguel started the ballgame hot, jumping to a 10-point lead, 30-20, at the start of the second quarter after a jumper by Jeron Teng.
Ginebra, however, tied the game at 47 at the half.
They flipped the script in the second half and clawed their way to a six-point advantage, 79-73, after a jumper by Japeth Aguilar.
The Beermen then unleashed a 7-0 run that gave them the lead anew, 80-79, with 6:24 on the clock, setting the stage for the nip-and-tuck finale.
Game 2 is at 4 p.m. Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.