San Miguel survives Thornton's 69-point outburst in 3OT

Thornton and Wilkinson had a duel for the ages. KC Cruz

The San Miguel Beermen went through the eye of the needle to defeat the NLEX Road Warriors, 131-127, in triple overtime on Tuesday at SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Beermen survived a 69-point explosion by NLEX import Al Thornton, who hit an impossible buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of regulation to force the first extra period.

He had a chance to win the game with a dunk to end the second overtime, but his basket was waved off after a review by the referees for failing to beat the buzzer.

Thornton wasn't the only import who had a magnificent game. San Miguel's Tyler Wilkinson came to the duel with guns ablaze as well, finishing with 58 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists.

In triple overtime, June Mar Fajardo and Wilkerson conspired to seize the win, outscoring Thornton, 11-7. Insurance charities from Marcio Lassiter put the game away.

With the win, San Miguel improved its win-loss record to 6-3 in a tie for second with Alaska. The Beermen remain in the hunt for one of the top two spots in the standings, which would give them twice-to-beat advantage.

NLEX, meanwhile, dropped to eighth place at 5-5.

The Beermen were ahead by as much as nine points halfway through the fourth, before Thornton took over for NLEX. The former NBA veteran hit his team's final 11 points in a 17-8 run to force overtime.

Thornton wasn't done, as he scored his team's first seven points in the first overtime. San Miguel, meanwhile, leaned on the production of Alex Cabagnot and Wilkerson to keep the game tied at 106-all heading into the final minute and a half.

The Beermen then went to their defense, first forcing a 24-second shot clock violation before completing a steal that led to a pair of Wilkerson charities for the lead. Sean Anthony connected at the other end, though, sending the game to double overtime. —JST, GMA News