San Miguel survives Star to even series
The San Miguel Beermen went scoreless in the final 3:47 of the game but held on to defeat the Star Hotshots, 77-76, to tie their semifinals series in the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup.
All of San Miguel's starters scored in double figures, led by Charles Rhodes with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Alex Cabagnot added 13 points, while Marcio Lassiter and Chris Ross combined for 21. June Mar Fajardo, meanwhile, scored 12 with nine boards but had five turnovers.
Tied at 74-all after an Ian Sangalang basket, Arwind Santos rung in a triple to give the Beermen a three-point edge. The two teams traded several misses, before Mark Barroca cashed in on a layup to trim the lead to just one with 43 ticks to go for a possible and-one, 77-76. The guard, however, missed the extra free throw, but completed a steal off a San Miguel timeout.
Star coach Chito Victolero called for time, as the Hotshots drained the 24-second shotclock. Paul Lee then pulled up for what could have been the game winner with four seconds left, but the gunner missed as Charles Rhodes secured the rebound to give the Beermen the victory.
Import Ricardo Ratliffe paced Star with 25 points and 35 rebounds, but got little help from the locals as only two other players scored in double figures. Jio Jalalon finished the game with 18, while Sangalang scored 12. Lee was limited to three points off a 1 of 9 shooting clip, while Aldrech Ramod and Mark Barroca combined for nine off an identical 2 of 7 clip from the floor. —JST, GMA News