Coach Leo Austria said San Miguel Beer’s talented bench felt the urge to step in a big way with June Mar Fajardo’s limited mobility due to a calf injury.
“When we learned that June Mar will have managed minutes or will play depending on my discretion, every player was thinking that they have to step up,” Austria said after the Beermen got back at Barangay Ginebra with a 100-83 rout on Friday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The win atoned for San Miguel’s collapse in Game 1 despite an 18-point lead and tied the best-of-seven semifinal series in the PBA Philippine Cup at 1-1, behind veteran Marcio Lassiter, big man Mo Tautuaa and backup guard Kris Rosales.
Lassiter dropped eight of his 16 points in the first quarter that set the tone for the Beermen, Tautuaa ably picked up the slack with Fajardo playing just 17 minutes, and posted 10 points and 10 rebounds while some of Rosales’ 13 points came when they needed to douse cold water on another Gin Kings’ attempt to orchestrate a rally.
Behind them, San Miguel was virtually in cruise control while also giving Fajardo some time to rest amid a calf problem that bothered him in Game 1.
“We always say that the team’s strength is with June Mar,” Austria said in Filipino. “But don’t forget, the strength of June Mar is his teammates, and it was evident in this game.”
Fajardo had two points and seven rebounds in limited action, as Austria elected to put him on the bench and put Tautuaa at the pivot.
Tautuaa was heaped with praise by Austria as he felt his presence enabled San Miguel to weather the dilemma of Fajardo’s injury.
Despite the win, Fajardo’s status will still play a factor for the rest of the series, including Sunday’s Game 3 at Smart Araneta Coliseum when they break their 1-1 tie.
Ginebra struggled in its failed bid to wrest a commanding 2-0 advantage, with Stephen Holt as the only starter in double figures with 17 points. Scottie Thompson finished with just nine points and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, TNT was aiming to make it two in a row over Rain or Shine in the other semifinal series being played at press time.
The Tropang 5G were coming off a 98-91 win last Wednesday at SM Mall of Asia Arena, and another victory will put them two wins shy of reaching the Finals, the last obstacle in their historic Grand Slam bid.
Rain or Shine, embracing the underdog label, was aiming to force a split of the first two games.
Lassiter drained two triples to set up a 12-3 start for the Beermen, and that burst had an effect on the entire team that simply played efficiently the rest of the way.
The league’s all-time three-point shooter later credited the number of San Miguel players in double figures, saying that it was able “to put pressure on the [Ginebra] defense” following a low-scoring semis opener.
Don Trollano added 14 points while Rosales’ had key baskets at the time when Ginebra cut the gap to nine in the third. Jericho Cruz and CJ Perez, on the other hand, added 11 apiece.
