SMB bench mob strikes back

MANILA, Philippines —  It’s San Miguel Beer’s turn to show its version of the “never say die” spirit and bench mob might.

On the backfoot after a sizzling Barangay Ginebra start, the Beermen patiently clawed their way back and snatched a 93-84 tying win in Game 2 of the PBA Philippine Cup semis last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Unlike in their 90-99 loss in Sunday’s opener, the defending champions got their shock troopers led by Jeron Teng to give titan June Mar Fajardo a big helping hand in the bounceback mission.

Fajardo punched in 21 points and 23 rebounds, in the process becoming the first player in PBA history with a 20-20 card for a third straight game.  JMF had 27-23 in Game 1 and posted 26-20 in SMB’s 101-94 disposal of NLEX in the quarterfinals.

Teng and the rest of the gang made sure the Kraken’s efforts wouldn’t go down the drain.

Called to action after warming the bench for the entirety of the previous match, Teng rose to the occasion and fired 12 of his 13 in the fourth period to help grease SMB’s 28-21 final breakaway.

Fajardo’s milestone night and Teng’s “magic bunot” status came at the same time as Don Trollano (12) and Jericho Cruz (11) atoned for their meager five and four markers, respectively, in their opening loss.

Marcio Lassiter’s gunslinging was a major factor, as well. The league’s premier three-point shooter of all time knocked down three booming triples in the third that sparked SMB’s 31-21 salvo en route to a 65-63 lead after trailing by 11 early.

“We know how tough Ginebra is so we all got to play well to beat Ginebra,” Teng said.

Relentless on both ends from start to finish, TNT repeated against Meralco, 109-92, to seize a 2-0 upperhand in their side of the Final Four.

Calvin Oftana and Jordan Heading anchored a sizzling 29-19 start to set the tone for the Tropang 5G’s smashing followup to their 100-95 Game 1 victory.