Ginebra stymies San Miguel for Game 3 victory

The San Miguel Beermen couldn’t find their usual rhythm on the offensive end, bowing to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 95-87, during Tuesday's Game 3 of their best-of-seven semifinals series at the MOA Arena in Pasay City.

Ginebra’s starters were led by Japeth Aguilar, who was on point with 25 points and 12 boards off a high 64 percent shooting clip. LA Tenorio added 18, while Prince Caperal and Jervy Cruz tallied 12 apiece. Joe Devance rounded up the players in double figures with 11.

The usually hot-shooting Beermen were limited to just 35 percent from the field, with a paltry 20 percent clip from beyond the arc.

After an Alex Cabagnot opening jumper, it was all Ginebra, as the Beermen never led again.

The Gin Kings led by as many as 14 at one point, before San Miguel made a late run. Arwind Santos and June Mar Fajardo strung charities to cut the deficit to just three with 2:08 to go, before Joe Devance missed a short stab. Japeth Aguilar was there for the offensive board, however, dunking it back for a five-point lead with 1:46 remaining.

Back to back misses from Alex Cbagnot led to an LA Tenorio layups with 32 ticks to go, enough to give Genera a seven-point lead to secure the win.

June Mar Fajardo paced San Miguel with 23 points and 16 rebounds, while Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos scored 14 and 13 points, respectively. Alex Cabagnot also registered 13 markers, but off a 5 of 19 clip form the field. No bench player scored in double figures for the Beermen, with the reserves accounting for just 18 of the team’s points.

Game 4 will be on Thursday at the MOA Arena. — Reuters