'Death 15': Teng underscores San Miguel depth in Game 2 win vs Ginebra

MANILA, Philippines -- Death five no longer.

The San Miguel Beermen’s strength is no longer just limited to a handful of players, but its entire 15-man roster, head coach Jorge Gallent said.

This came after Jeron Teng, who was inserted late in the third quarter, made key plays and sparked a run that turned a 65-60 deficit to a 74-67 lead.

Teng, who was subbed in at the 4:41 mark of the frame, recorded three points, two assists, a steal and a rebound in the third quarter.

He then scored four points in the fourth canto before being subbed out. He played a total of eight minutes and 45 seconds in the crucial 106-96 win.

After the game, Gallent bared he initially inserted Teng to guard his former Converge teammate, Mav Ahanmisi.

“We knew Jeron was a teammate of Ahanmisi. We made him play good defense to him because he was kinda getting open a lot, but he was just missing his shots. So, Jeron just really did a good job, when he was called,” Gallent told reporters.

“Everybody’s capable. There’s no Death Five here. It’s Death 15. Everybody’s good here. They wouldn’t be here if they weren’t good,” he added.

The Death Five moniker was given to five members of San Miguel that dominated the league earlier.

This consisted of current Beermen June Mar Fajardo, Chris Ross, Marcio Lassiter and former San Miguel stalwarts Arwind Santos and Alex Cabagnot.

“Our players are very composed early. They know how to win, they know how to do things especially in the end game,” Gallent said.

“Players are good, hats off to them. They know how to win, this Death 15, not Death Five,” he added.

For his part, Teng, who was one of the key cogs of Converge before signing with the Beermen, said he was just ready.

“Whenever my number’s called, I really have to contribute. That’s what I did. I just stayed ready the whole game when I was given the minutes,” he stressed.

The forward said that his role was really to just defend opposing players, and he is happy to do that on Friday night.

“My role this year is really, whenever I’m given minutes, whoever is in front of me, I really have to defend my best and try to limit my opponents,” the former La Salle Green Archer, who suffered injuries this conference, stated.

“Of course, I know that I’m gonna play limited minutes, so I have to give it my all.”