Poised Beermen repel Hotshots for 8th straight win

MANILA, Philippines -- The San Miguel Beermen remained calm and collected and survived a scare from the Magnolia Hotshots, 98-91, to win their eighth straight game in the PBA Philippine Cup Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

CJ Perez exploded for 25 points, five assists, two steals and two rebounds for the Beermen, who rose to 8-0 this season.

After seeing their 20-point first-half lead crumble, the Beermen held on and showed nerves of steel late to prevent a collapse.

The defending champions held a seven-point cushion, 90-83, following an and-one play by Perez.

Magnolia cut the lead to three, 87-90, with 2:14 to go following timely shots by Ian Sangalang and James Laput.

A layup by June Mar Fajardo with 1:32 left made it a five-point game, 92-87, with 1:34 remaining.

A pair of free throws by Paul Lee helped the Hotshots inch closer, 89-92, but back-to-back dagger 3-pointers by Chris Ross and Perez put the game out of reach, 98-89.

Ross chipped in 15 points for the Beermen, while Marcio Lassiter had 12 markers, all from rainbow territory.

Lee and Aris Dionisio carried the offensive load for Magnolia, finishing with 23 and 22 markers, respectively.

The former had seven boards and six dimes, while the latter hauled down 10 caroms.

After trailing big in the first half, the Hotshots slowly crept closer and moved to within striking distance.

A 9-0 run stretching from the third to the fourth quarter towed Magnolia to within one, 69-70, with a triple by Dionisio.

The Beermen, however, kept their distance as the Hotshots played catch-up the rest of the way.

“I told the players before the game that Magnolia likes to deny the passing lanes, so we have to counter that. We just have to play through it,” head coach Jorge Gallent told reporters after the game.

“We just cannot sit around on offense against Magnolia, because when they deny you, that’s gonna ruin your offense, which the players did. They were countering all the denials of Magnolia,” he added.

Magnolia’s four-game winning streak was snapped as they dropped to 5-3 in the season.

The two teams will be back in action on Sunday, April 28, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig, where the Hotshots will face the Meralco Bolts; while the Beermen will take on the NLEX Road Warriors.