Arwind delivers as Beermen near sweep

MANILA, Philippines -- Arwind Santos struck from inside and out for a game-high 23 points and himself put up a defensive gem on Ranidel de Ocampo in the dying seconds as San Miguel Beer outlasted Talk n Text, 96-95, in another gripping battle to move a win shy of a sweep of their PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinal duel at the Mall of Asia Arena Tuesday night.

It was a well-fought match boiling down to the final seconds with the Beermen prevailing as Santos was all over De Ocampo in Talk n Text’s last possession, leaving no opening for a game-winning shot for the Texters.

De Ocampo took a tough fade-away that went short, then June Mar Fajardo grabbed the rebound at the buzzer to the delight of the SMB bench and their supporters.

Now with a commanding 3-0 lead, the Beermen take their first of four shots at the finals in Game Four Friday also at the Pasay City playing venue.

“We need four wins to close it out. They still have their chance, and we shouldn’t be complacent. We should be smart and we should not be affected of what’s happening outside the court,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria.

“Before the game, I told the guys let’s just do our job. It’s a very emotional game, and I’m thankful we salvaged the game,” Austria also said.

After Fajardo’s dominant job in Game One and Alex Cabagnot’s heroics in Game Two, Santos took his turn to lead the way as the Beermen withstood the Texters’ tough challenge anchored on a torrid three-point shooting.

Before his game-winning defensive stoppage, Santos sizzled with his own hot three-point shooting, firing away five with the last giving SMB a 95-91 lead with 1:34 left to play.

In the series, the Texters put their toughest stand in this game, banking heavily on 15-of-39 three-point clip.

De Ocampo bucked a slight fever as he drained six treys, the last narrowing the gap at 94-95. Then a split by Jayson Castro from the stripe tied the count at 95.

But Cabagnot got away with his own split as San Miguel regained the upper hand at 96-95 with 9.2 ticks left.

Santos himself preserved his sterling performance in covering De Ocampo very well in the closing seconds.

Jimmy Alapag also came out hot, bombing away three treys and thus moving to second place in the all-time three-points ladder behind Allan Caidic. Alapag, with 1,174 treys, moved ahead of Ronnie Magsanoc (1,242).

De Ocampo, Alapag, Larry Fonacier and Jayson Castro fired a triple each in TnT’s 12-4 closing salvo that pushed the Texters ahead, 55-49, at the half.

Curiously, Talk n Text’s last three-pointer came after an SMB timeout with 3.6 ticks left.

Castro stole Jeric Fortuna’s baseline inbounds and converted a shot from beyond the arc, capping Talk n Text’s remarkable 11-of-24 three-point shooting in the first 24 minutes of play. San Miguel, on the other hand, made just three of 12 attempts.

Despite that disparity, the Beermen engaged the Texters in a close game in the first half with 13 points apiece from Fajardo and Santos.

The Beermen started with an eight-to-nothing run on two three-pointers by Santos and a jump shot from mid-range by Chris Lutz.

Notes: PBA commissioner Chito Salud has cautioned everyone as he noted passions running high in both semis series. “I encourage restraint at this point,” said Salud on the heels of heated exchange of words between top officials of San Miguel Beer and Talk n Text, and an avalanche of technical fouls called in the RoS-Alaska game Monday night. Salud said he also noted issues pertaining to the demeanor of team officials sitting on the bench. With regards this, Salud said he would discuss his views and recommendations with the board.