PBA: Don Trollano's return sparks San Miguel's playoff hopes in win vs Meralco

Don Trollano came back from a two-game absence and delivered right away, helping San Miguel turn back Meralco, 103-92, to boost their playoff drive in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner's Cup on Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Trollano, who missed their contrasting outings against NLEX and Blackwater, returned in style, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the second half as the Beermen pulled away before holding off a late Meralco rally.

June Mar Fajardo, whose 12 points fueled a furious 14-0 run to open the third period, finished with 19 markers and 17 rebounds while import Bennie Boatwright had 16 markers and 11 boards to help San Miguel bounce back from a rare 126-120 loss to the Bossing last Wednesday.

The Beermen climbed to 5–5, while the Bolts dropped their second straight game to slip to 5–3.

"Bench is very important because in our last few games, our bench was not performing well but with Don and Jericho, at least nakatulong sila sa production ng mga points," SMB head coach Leo Austria said.

"And that's what we're waiting for because when it comes to rotation, talagang very short kami that's why kinakapos kami sa dulo."

(Bench is very important because in our last few games, our bench was not performing well but with Don and Jericho, at least they help with production of points... And that's what we're waiting for because when it comes to rotation, we've really very short that's why we fall short at the end.)

San Miguel played catch-up early on but Fajardo almost single-handedly starred in a wild third quarter run that allowed the Beermen to turn a 48-55 halftime deficit into a 62-55 lead.

Still, the Bolts didn’t let the Beermen put the game away early, trailing by just four, 77–73, heading into the fourth period.

Trollano, who last saw action in their 120-101 loss to Magnolia last April 12, caught fire from downtown and knocked down a four-point shot that extended their lead to 11, 90-79. Chris Ross then sank his own corner triple off a Jericho Cruz pass for a 93-80 cushion. 

But the Bolts mounted a late fightback led by CJ Cansino, who split his free throws and grabbed the offensive rebound that led to a Marvin Jones jumper, 87-95. 

Back-to-back turnovers from San Miguel paved the way for a basket each from Cansino and Jones, cutting the gap to just a single possession with 1:13 left, 92-96. 

But Boatwright and Fajardo calmly converted three free throws, before CJ Perez iced the game with a dagger four-pointer that sealed the victory and lifted San Miguel’s playoff hopes.

Jones paced Meralco with 26 points and 13 rebounds while Chris Newsome and Cansino chipped in 18 and 12 markers apiece. 

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News