Star Hotshots continued on the right track of having an unbeaten record as they were the first to blemish the San Miguel Beermen’s grand slam bid by escaping a hard-earned 104-98 win in the PBA Governors’ Cup at Araneta Coliseum on Friday.
All the defensive stops, added by crucial free throws and heroics of Star’s young reinforcement gave the Hot Shots the chance to recuperate in just a nick of time and disfigure the Beermen’s dominant start in the conference.
However, it was not an easy job for the Star as the SMB refused to go down showcasing their championship poise through Arwind Santos and Wendell McKines’ last gasp one-two punch, combined with Marcio Lassiter’s cold-blooded triple to cut TNT’s lead into two, 100-98.
But that seemed to be the final strike of San Miguel as Ian Sanggalang consistently knocked down his last four free throws down the stretch to seal the game at 104-98.
“It’s all about effort, it’s all about team work. A lot of credit to the players, they stepped up big time sa game na ito. I reminded them to play 48 minutes of playing together, working harder, outhustling and outplaying the San Miguel team,” Star Coach Chito Victolero said in a post-game presser.
“That’s why we had a proper mindset. I’m thankful for the players, they stepped up because that san Miguel team simply won’t give up,” Victoloro added.
Malcolm Hill lead the Hotshot offensive firepower with a flirting double-double performance of 20 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists.
Ian Sangalang provided support with his 18 points while Raffy Reavis and Rodney Brondial, who both came off the bench, contributed a double-digit scoring with 13 points and 10 points, respectively.
Wendell McKiness also gave a huge performance for the Beermen with his dominant double-double performance of 27 markers and 28 boards.
Star Hotshots remained unblemished with a 3-0 record while the San Miguel Beermen fell into 2-1. | Tretch Melarpes – PTV
The scores:
STAR 104 – Hill 20, Sangalang 18, Reavis 13, Brondial 10, Maliksi 8, Barroca 8, Lee 7, Dela Rosa 7, Melton 6, Ramos 5, Jalalon 2, Javier 0, Simon 0.
SAN MIGUEL 98 – McKines 27, Lassiter 24, Santos 19, Cabagnot 12, Ross 10, Rosser 4, Espinas 2, Heruela 0, Tubid 0, Pessumal 0.
Quarters: 24-21, 50-55, 76-77, 104-98.
