June Mar Fajardo and Chris Ross delivered as usual and led the starters, but it was the bench mob that gave the Texters a different look and helped turn the game around, negating TNT’s unprecedented 17 unanswered points to start the game.
Arwind Santos sparked the comeback, finishing with 16 points built around four triples in 21 minutes, while Gabby Espinas, David Semerad, and Brian Heruela also provided precious minutes for the Beermen, who atoned for their 104-102 loss in Game One.
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Heruela played solid defense on Jayson Castro, who was limited to 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting in 22 minutes, while Semerad also made the most of his 15 minutes on the court for the SMB bench that also saw Arnold Van Opstal get playing time in the end.
The Beermen also found a defensive scheme to neutralize TNT import Joshua Smith, who was held to 11 points and six rebounds, although he dished out five assists in nearly 18 minutes of play after tallying 21 points – the last two on the game-winning hook, and nine boards in Game One.
The Final Scoreboard Result:
SMB 102 – Fajardo 22, Ross 20, Santos 16, Cabagnot 13, Lassiter 8, Rhodes 7, Espinas 6, Reyes 4, Agovida 2, Semerad 2, Tubid 2, Heruela 0, Van Opstal 0TNT 88 – Castro 14, Semerad 12, Rosario 12, Smith 11, Rosales 9, Tautuaa 8, Carey 8, Williams 4, De Ocampo 3, Garcia 3, Hernandez 2, Nuyles 2, Tamsi 0, Golla 0, Pogoy 0
Quarterscores: 24-32, 52-43, 90-62, 102-88