The San Miguel Beermen put a stop on their losing skid, while the TNT Tropang Giga booked a 4-0 start to the conference.
Mo Tautaa tallied 25 points in San Miguel’s win over TerraFirma. (Photo from PBA)
Beermen snaps two-game losing skid
Behind strong performances from their starting big men, San Miguel defeated TerraFirma, 105-98. Mo Tautaa led the Beermen with his 25 markers, while veteran forward Arwind Santos finished with a double-double of 20 points and 14 rebounds.
After losing star guard Terrence Romeo to a shoulder injury, the Beermen received a timely boost from Von Pessumal. Pessumal came off the bench to pour in 17 points built on five hits from three-point territory.
Arwind Santos hauled in a double-double night against TerraFirma Dyip. (Photo from PBA)
CJ Perez, one of the early candidates for the Best Player of the Conference plum, topscored for TerraFirma with his 20 points. The Gilas Pilipinas guard also added 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.
This is a morale-boosting victory for the Beermen, who will be without Romeo and June Mar Fajardo for the rest of the conference.
Defense powers TNT’s strong second half show against Phoenix
TNT’s RR Pogoy drives past Matthew Wright of Phoenix. (Photo from PBA)
The Tropang Giga went on a masterful second half showing to carve a 110-91 comeback win over the Phoenix Super LPG Fuelmasters. RR Pogoy led the charge for TNT with his 30 points, while Poy Erram hauled in another double-double outing of 18 points and 15 rebounds.
After facing a nine-point deficit in the first half, TNT bounced back in the final two quarters by being more active on defense. During that span, they managed to contain Phoenix’s star Matthew Wright, who already had 20 points before the halftime break.
Wright finished with 31 points in the loss, but he received measly contributions from his teammates. Jason Perkins, who normed 24.0 points in the team’s first two games, only came up with 8 markers tonight.
SCORES
First Game
TNT (110) – Pogoy 30, Erram 18, Enciso 13, Parks 12, Reyes 10, Castro 10, De Leon 3, Washington 3, Semerad 0, Alejandro 0, Vosotros 0, Flores 0
Phoenix (91) – Wright 31, Napoles 10, Perkins 8, Chua 7, Jazul 7, Reyes 6, Marcelo 5, Garcia 5, Heruela 4, Intal 4, Gamboa 4, Rios 0
Second Game
San Miguel (105) – Tautuaa 25, Santos 20, Lassiter 18, Pessumal 17, Zamar 11, Cabagnot 8, Gamalinda 2, Ross 2, Alolino 2, Escoto 0
TerraFirma (98) – Perez 20, Mccarthy 15, Tiongson 11, Adams 9, Ramos 9, Celda 9, Khobuntin 7, Cahilig 6, Gabayni 5, Faundo 5, Camson 2, Calvo 0, Balagasay 0, Agovida 0