MANILA, Philippines – San Miguel just can’t seem to catch a break against Hong Kong Eastern.
The Beermen fell prey to the foreign squad for the second time in five days after absorbing a 99-91 overtime loss in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the PhilSports Arena on Sunday, December 22.
Powered by the 23-point, 18-rebound, 5-assist outing of eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, San Miguel erased a double-digit deficit but ran out of gas in the extra period, falling short of a third straight victory in the PBA.
Glen Yang delivered 26 points with 4 rebounds and 4 assists for Eastern, which reasserted its mastery over the Beermen after earning a 71-62 win in their East Asia Super League encounter in Hong Kong on Wednesday, December 18.
Yang scattered 7 points in overtime as he outscored the entire San Miguel crew, which recorded just 4 points in added time after making only 2 of 7 field goals and committing a pair of turnovers.
The Beermen looked on their way to avenging their EASL loss to Eastern when they uncorked an 8-2 run capped by a CJ Perez three-pointer to knot the score at 87-87, but bungled their chances in the next two possessions.
Debuting San Miguel import Jabari Narcis committed a turnover then Chris Ross misfired on his potential game-winning triple at the regulation buzzer.
Chris McLaughlin backstopped Yang with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 steals, Hayden Blankley had 15 points and 5 rebounds, while Kobey Lam added 13 points for Eastern, which improved to 6-2.
“It is not easy to beat any team twice in a row, especially San Miguel, which is a very good team,” said Eastern head coach Mensur Bajramovic.
Narcis netted 28 points and 10 rebounds in his first PBA game after coming in as a replacement for Torren Jones.
Perez posted 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, while Marcio Lassiter delivered 13 points and 5 assists for the Beermen, who fell to an even 3-3.
The Scores
Eastern 99 – Yang 26, McLaughlin 18, Blankley 15, Lam 13, Chan 10, Pok 6, Cao 5, Guinchard 3, Zhu 2, Cheung 1, Xu 0.
San Miguel 91 – Narcis 28, Fajardo 23, Perez 18, Lassiter 13, Rosales 3, Trollano 2, Tautuaa 2, Cruz 2, Ross 0, Tiongson 0, Brondial 0, Cahilig 0.
Quarters: 22-20, 51-41, 69-64, 98-87, 99-91.
– Rappler.com