Ivan Aska and CJ Perez steadied the ship as San Miguel Beer came through with a nail-biting 98-93 victory over archrival TNT in the 2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Sunday, Dec. 17.

Aska and Perez not only made their presence felt on the offensive end but also pulled off the much-needed stops with two huge steals in the waning seconds to outplay the Tropang Giga for the Beermen’s second straight win.

Aska, playing for one more game for SMB as replacement import Bennie Boatwright was still down with the flu, made sure to leave a lasting impression with 25 points and nine rebounds. Perez chipped in 20 points and seven rebounds including the go-ahead basket, 94-93, with 1:50 left.

Aska then stole the ball from TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson before going for the offensive rebound and a putback off a missed Perez trey.

But the biggest play, however, came from Perez who completed a steal on the inbound pass of Kib Montalbo in the next possession, leading to the game-sealing free throws from Jericho Cruz with 25 seconds left.

Terrence Romeo also had his share of the spotlight with 14 points while Cruz chipped in nine as SMB zoomed in to a spot in the playoffs with the win that improved its record to a 5-3 slate.

Calvin Oftana paced TNT with his first double-double of the season, scattering 27 points built on five triples along with 13 rebounds. Hollis-Jefferson had an all-around effort of 26 points, 15 rebounds and five assists but went down the drain as the Tropang Giga saw their two-game win streak snap for an even 4-4 record in the standings.