By REYNALD MAGALLON
George King displayed poise in the face of another furious Terrafirma comeback as San Miguel pulled off a great escape, 109-104, in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Saturday, July 18.
With the Beermen squandering a 22-point lead and suddenly trailing by three, 101-104 late in the final frame, King took over by scoring two free throws, getting a crucial steal and then making the go-ahead layup.
He exploded for 37 points and collared 22 rebounds as the Beermen handed the Dyip a third straight defeat. In all three defeats, Terrafirma rallied from double-digit deficits and found itself with a chance to steal the game in the final minute, only to come up short each time.
Terrafirma recovered from a 23-point deficit before absorbing a 101-100 loss to NLEX. It also rallied from 19 points down against Converge, only to suffer another narrow 105-103 defeat.
San Miguel, meanwhile, picked up its second win in as many games while Terrafirma dropped to a 1-3 slate.
CJ Perez finished with 22 points while Don Trollano added 17 for the Beermen, who also survived the fiery shooting from former teammate Juami Tiongson, who erupted for 27 points for the Dyip.
Meanwhile, Meralco came alive in the second half and fended off Rain or Shine, 122-114, to barge into the win column.
Jason Brickman kept the Bolts afloat with a steady all-around performance before his teammates found their rhythm in the last two quarters on their way to their breakthrough victory in the season-ending conference.
Meralco was actually down by six at the break, 54-60, before Brickman orchestrated a blistering 41-point explosion in the third frame that swung the momentum in the Bolts’ favor and kept Rain or Shine at bay from there.
He finished with 19 points, seven assists and three steals while Antonio Hester, who is playing stand-in for original import choice Jordon Vernado, announced his PBA return with 21 points and nine rebounds.
Chris Banchero also found his touch in the second half, firing 15 points built on three four pointers while Bong Quinto chipped in 14.
Aaron Fuller paced ROS with 28 points and 10 rebounds while Deo Cuajao stepped up in the departure of Gian Mamuyac with 19 points spiked by three triples. He, however, failed to finish the game after sustaining a bloody cut above his right eyebrow after getting hit with an inadvertent elbow from Cliff Hodge.
