Beermen foil Dyip's comeback try

MANILA, Philippines -- For the third straight game, the comeback attempt of Terrafirma Dyip came off just short. 

The San Miguel Beermen held off a furious rally by the Dyip, 109-104, in their PBA Governors’ Cup clash Saturday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. 

San Miguel led by as much as 22 points in the ballgame, before Terrafirma held the lead late but faltered in the dying seconds. 

George King powered the Beermen with 37 points, 14 rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block. CJ Perez added 22 markers, four boards, four dimes, four steals and a swat. 

San Miguel led by as much as 22 points, 68-46, after a pair of free throws by King. 

But the Dyip sped off and sliced the deficit to single digit, 71-79, after a jumper by Juami Tiongson.

Terrafirma then kept itself within striking distance. 

After a split from the line by King, San Miguel led by four, 101-97, with 2:28 left. 

But a 7-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer by the former Beerman Tiongson, pushed the Dyip ahead, 104-101, with 1:21 left. But it turned out to be their final shot. 

In the next possession, King missed a triple. A turnover by Tiongson, however, led to free throws by King, which pulled them to within one, 103-104, with 48.2 seconds to go. 

And a few moments after, Tiongson had another turnover that led to a King layup, 105-104, with 39.1 seconds to go. 

On the other end, Tiongson missed a triple that would have pushed them ahead. Justin Strings was able to carom the board, but a triple by CJ Catapusan missed as well. 

Free throws by CJ Perez and Don Trollano iced the game, 109-104. 

Trollano added 17 points off the bench for the Beermen. 

Strings powered the Dyip with 28 points,12 rebounds, three assists and a block. Tiongson had 27 points, seven assists, six rebounds and a steal. 

Terrafirma has stormed back from huge double digit deficits in their two previous losses, but missed a shot at the buzzer. 

The Beermen rose to 2-0 in the conference, while the Dyip dropped to a 1-3 slate.