San Miguel defeats TNT, ties series behind Ross' 31

Chris Ross scored 31 points with five rebounds and five assists to lead the San Miguel Beermen to a 97-86 win over TNT Katropa in Game Four of their PBA Philippine Cup semifinals series on Tuesday at Mall of Asia Arena.

With the win, the Beermen tied the series at 2-2.

"I have to commend my players dahil alam nila ang sitwasyon namin," said San Miguel coach Leo Austria after the game. "Nagkaron sila ng sense of urgency, especially Chris Ross. I have to appreciate that guy."

After going down 19-18 in the opening period, the Beermen outscored TNT 58-39 in the second and third quarters to enjoy a 76-58 edge heading into the final turn.

The lead proved to be too large for TNT to overcome, giving San Miguel the victory.

"I'm so happy na na-tie namin yung series. We have to play our game and we were able to dictate the tempo of the game and I think that was crucial for us," Austria added in his postgame interview.

"This is a game of adjustments. Ang laki ng respeto ko sa kanila, takot ako sa kanila (TNT). I have to give credit to coach Nash [Racela] dahil maganda ang ginagawa niya. Hinahanap niya ang weakness namin."

June Mar Fajardo had 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Beermen, while Alex Cabagnot and Marcio Lassiter chipped in 12 points each. Gabby Espinas and RR Garcia led the bench with 10 and eight points, respectively.

TNT, meanwhile, was led by Larry Fonacier, who came off the bench for 15 markers with three triples. Jayson Castro was limited to 13 points off a 5 of 17 shooting clip, while Mo Tautuaa tallied 12 markers in less than 15 minutes of play. Kelly Williams scored 10, while Roger Pogoy, Troy Rosario, and Ranidel De Ocampo combined for just 18 points. —JST, GMA News