San Miguel escapes sweep with Game Three win over Bay Area

The San Miguel Beermen kept their title defense bid alive after surviving Bay Area, 98-96, in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinals series in the 2022 PBA Commissioner's Cup on Sunday at the PhilSports Arena. 

After back-to-back losses to start the series, the defending champions are now on the board for a 2-1 series deficit. 

CJ Perez tied things up at 93 with a split from the charity stripe in the final 1:06 before Kobey Lam hit a triple to make it a 96-93 spread for the Dragons with 52 ticks left. San Miguel import Devon Scott then sank both his free throws to send the Beermen to a one-point disadvantage. 

Simon Enciso came up clutch with a three-pointer of his own, 98-96, with 12 seconds left in the game. Lam and Hayden Blankley had chances to win it for Bay Area but they both missed out on their last attempt as San Miguel completed the victory. 

Scott finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds, two rebounds, and two blocks while June Mar Fajardo chipped in 21 markers, 16 boards, and three blocks. 

Perez tallied 17 points while Enciso collected 16 while also grabbing seven assists and four rebounds. 

Game 4 is on Wednesday, December 21, with San Miguel looking to tie the series while Bay Area will look to finish off the reigning champions.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News