Beermen win Game 4 in double OT
When Barangay Ginebra guard Jayjay Helterbrand missed two crucial free throws in the first overtime, San Miguel Beer coach Ato Agustin took it as a sign that Game 4 was meant for them.
His intuition was right.
The Beermen cashed in on the opportunity and beat the Kings, 108-104, in double overtime Wednesday for a 3-1 lead in their PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series at the Araneta Colisuem.
Jay Washington played 54 tireless minutes and collected 19 points and a career-high 20 rebounds to pace the Beermen, who can wrap up the best-of-seven series on Friday.
“I wasn’t to finish my career with a championship so kailangan matapos na,” said Olsen Racela, who is all set to retire after the conference.
He marked his 918th career game – which tied Philip Cezar for fourth all-time most in league history — with two assists ands eight points, including two free throws with 12.4 seconds left in the second overtime to ice the game.
SMB took the fight away from the scrambling Kings with a 7-0 run to open the second overtime.
It was a frustrating loss for the Kings and they have only themselves to blame.
Badly battered off the boards in the first half, Barangay Ginebra managed to get back into the game in the second half with outstanding defense and hustle and came close to pulling off another winner.
But they couldn’t finish off the Beermen, repeatedly missing crucial shots and free throws when they needed it. The Kings actually shot only 2-of-12 from the field and –of-2 from the 15-foot line in the second overtime period.
Barangay Ginebra held a 94-92 lead with 22 seconds left in regulation and had a chance to win the game right there with one stop.
But after a timeout, SMB guard Alex Cabagnot, took the ball from Washington, dribbled away some seconds then aggressively attacked the lane. The moment Ginebra’s defense collapsed on him, Cabagnot (17 points, 5 assists) quickly fed the wide open Danny Ildefonso for the tying basket that forced overtime.
Danny Seigle, who found his groove in the second quarter, scored 15 points in the game, Ildefonso had 13, Dondon Hontiveros added 12. Arwind Santos accounted for 11 points and 11 rebounds as SMB outrebounded Barangay Ginebra, 73-61.
SMB’s dominating presence off the boards included 31 offensive rebounds that earned them 28 second chance points, partly why they took control in the first half. Barangay Ginebra had just 16 offensive rebounds and only four second chance points.
Ronald Tubid had 28 points to show the way for the Kings and Rico Villanueva added 19. The figures were conference-highs for both players.
SMB took a 99-97 lead on a three-point play by Ildefonso, who drew Mark Caguioa’s sixth foul with 3:10 left in the first overtime.
Caguioa managed just 9 points and his absence in the crucial minutes of the game visibly hurt the Kings, who had no one to go to when they were desperate to score.
A basket by Willie Miller, who scored 14 points on a woeful 6-of-17 shooting from the floor, tied the count at 99-all and the Kings had a chance to go ahead when Helterbrand went to the line with 65
seconds left in the first overtime. He missed both free throws.
As a team, Barangay Ginebra missed 12 of 33 free throws.
“We won this one on breaks. When Jayjay went to the line I thought we had lost it. But when he missed both free throws, I thought it was a sign that this game was meant for us,” said Agustin, trying to become just the six coach in the league to win a championship in his maiden conference.
“The players also didn’t lost their composure when Ginebra appeared to have gained momentum. I thought that made the difference in the end.” (DBC, www.pba.ph)
The scores:
SAN MIGUEL BEER 108 – Washington 19, Cabagnot 17, Seigle 15, Ildefonso 13, Hontiveros 12, Santos 11, Racela 8, Pena 6, Artadi 4, Salvacion 3, Yeo 0.
BARANGAY GINEBRA 104 – Tubid 28, Villanueva 19, Miller 14, Caguioa 9, Menk 9, Helterbrand 8, Intal 7, Wilson 5, Cortez 3, Hatfield 2.
Quarterscores: 25-26, 48-43, 71-78, 94-94, 99-99, 108-104