ABL: San Mig Beermen rally late, get 11th straight win

The San Miguel Beermen faced a rough challenge from the Sports Rev Thailand Slammers, before finally coming out triumphant, 78-70, Wednesday at the Nimibutr Stadium in Thailand, for their 11th straight victory in the Asean Basketball League. San Miguel continues to stay on top of the league with a 14-3 record, while the Slammers sank to 6-12. Early on, the Beermen appeared to be ready to run away with this one, staking out a 28-12 lead by the end of the first period, before a Hans Thiele score gave them their largest advantage of the game, 18-points, at 30-12, 9:13 left in the first half. However, San Miguel's offense seemingly disappeared in a blink of an eye, as the Slammers came charging to close the gap. A 21-6 blast by the home team closed out the first 20 minutes, allowing Thailand to get within three, 36-33, at the break. Pairach Sekteera completed the comeback early in the third, putting the Slammers ahead 37-36 off a Froilan Baguion assist, their first lead since the very initial stages of the first period, when they were up 2-0. Christien Charles made it a nine-point affair on a basket with 2:17 left in the third quarter, the Slammers' largest lead of the game, though SMB import Brian Williams got it down to seven, 53-46, with a full quarter left to make something happen. Something in fact did happen, namely a Beermen comeback. After Baguion connected on a trey to give San Miguel an eight-point deficit, 58-50, 8:11 left in the game, San Miguel was able to unload seven straight, to get within a point, 58-57, 5:48 left. Last season's MVP Leo Avenido forged a deadlock, 62-all, with 4:10 left, before Charles connected off an offensive rebound to retake the lead, 64-62. A 10-3 run by SMB however put them in the driver's seat, following a pair of free throws by Paolo Hubalde, 1:05 left. Wacharapoong Tongsri nailed a late triple to try to keep things interesting, 72-68, but his next two attempts were rejected by former GlobalPort Batang Pier Justin Williams, sealing the victory. Asi Taulava had a dominant night, with a game-high 18 points, knocking in 8-of-13 from the field, plus six rebounds. Leo Avenido added 15, 12 from downtown, while Paolo Hubalde had a strong outing, running the point in the wake of an injury to Chris Banchero. Hubalde provided 14 points, an assist, and two steals. Christien Charles put together a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, plus eight blocks. Darongpan Apiromvilahichai was the only other member of the Slammer to finish in double figures, scattering 12. Both sides shot under 40 percent, 27-of-75 (36 percent) by the Beermen, while the Slammers dropped 27-of-72 (38 percent) from the field. San Miguel however got 20 points off turnovers, compared to just 15 by their foes. - AMD, GMA News