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PBA: San Mig survives late Rain or Shine scare
Marc Pingris mans the paint against the Rain or Shine offense. Photo by KC Cruz
Rain or Shine had two chances in the last nine seconds to win it, but the San Mig Coffee defense held up in the endgame for a 93-92 win on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
"I was in a quandary in the last nine seconds," said San Mig head coach Tim Cone. "I have to decide whether to call a timeout and get defensive guys in. [We] gotta rely on our defense; we had to make a couple of stops there."
"I was in a quandary in the last nine seconds," said San Mig head coach Tim Cone. "I have to decide whether to call a timeout and get defensive guys in. [We] gotta rely on our defense; we had to make a couple of stops there."
Up 13 early in the fourth, the Elastopainters slowly inched closer, cutting the lead to only three at the 1:16 mark after a Jeff Chan trey. With 16.3 seconds to go, a battle for the rebound had Beau Belga sending Rafi Reavis to the line, where the San Mig big man split for a 93-89 lead. With 11.5 seconds remaining, the Elastopainters went to Chan, who fished for a foul from Marc Pingris from way beyond the three-point line. Chan canned all three freethrows, cutting the lead to one.
After an inbounds miscue from Simon giving Rain or Shine the ball, Chan went for a drive which was deflected by Pingris. The Elastopainters had 3.3 seconds to win the game, but Beau Belga's running shot fell short to give San Mig the win.
San Miguel now takes the solo second seed over Rain or Shine, strengthening their bid for the second seed heading into the playoffs.
PJ Simon led San Miguel with 24 points on 8 for 12 shooting from the field.
San Miguel played in an up-tempo fashion to start the game, getting opportunities at the rim. Meanwhile, Rain or Shine struggled mightily from the field. The Elastopainters missed their first eight field goals before a Chan jumper put them on the board, 11-2, at the 7:00 mark. Chan dropped seven in the ensuing 11-4 run for the Elastopainters to bring the deficit down to four, 15-11, with three minutes to play.
But San Miguel shored up its defense, contributing to seven unanswered points. Chan broke the Coffee Mixers' momentum with a trey with 12.5 seconds remaining, as PJ Simon replied with an and-one play, but Ryan Araña countered with a three-point play of his own as Rain or Shine trailed by eight, 25-17 after the first period.
In the second quarter, fearless play from Rain or Shine's bench resulted into a 17-9 run. Outside shooting by Chris Tiu complemented Beau Belga, Ryan Araña and Larry Rodriguez's physicality in the lane to knot the game at 34-all, with seven minutes to play.
It would be San Miguel, however, who would take the momentum going into halftime. Joe Devance and Pingris out-hustled their frontcourt counterparts to score easy points at the rim. In contrast, Rain or Shine had only one field goal in the last seven minutes, a layup by Jervy Cruz, as they fell in a a 13-3 run.
After two quarters, San Miguel were ahead, 47-37, while outscoring Rain or Shine in the paint, 30-14.
When play resumed, San Miguel came back down to earth as they struggled to score from the field. Meanwhile, Belga and Araña combined for nine points as Rain or Shine's good spacing gave them a 13-8 swing and trailed by four, 55-51.
However, the momentum shifted back in San Miguel's favor as James Yap nailed a tough floater in the lane. Simon followed shortly with a four-point play to trigger a 10-3 San Miguel attack, 65-54.
The Elasto Painters hustled for points in last three and a half minutes, 7-4, to get the lead back down to single digits, 60-69.
In the fourth quarter, Ronnie Matias came out with guns blazing as he scored nine of Rain or Shine's first 14 to cut the lead to five, 80-75. San Miguel shoved back, led by five points from Devance, in a 10-5 stretch that gave them a 90-80 lead with 3:30 remaining before the final sequence of the game. - RAF, GMA News
The scores:
SANMIG COFFEE 93 - Simon 24, Devance 20, De Ocampo 14, Pingris 10, Yap 9, Villanueva 8, Barroca 3, Reavis 3, Ramos 2, Intal 0, Gonzales 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 92 - Chan 21, Matias 18, Belga 13, Tiu 12, Arana 12, Cruz 7, Norwood 4, Rodriguez 3, Quinahan 2, Tang 0.
Quarters: 25-17, 47-37, 69-60, 93-92
