SMB rides searing third quarter rally to dismantle Ginebra, even series anew
At A Glance
- Rodney Brondial isn't exactly the best three-point shooter in the lineup of San Miguel but he made not just one but two in Game 4.
Rodney Brondial isn't exactly the best three-point shooter in the lineup of San Miguel but he made not just one but two in Game 4.
That was just the kind of night for the Beermen, particularly during a back-breaking third quarter assault as they dismantled Barangay Ginebra Kings, 107-82, to even their best-of-seven semifinals series at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday, July 2.
The surprising Brondial trey was actually part of the searing 22-3 rally of SMB in the third frame, breaking what was initially a tight contest into a breakaway for the Beermen to tie the series at 2-all.
June Mar Fajardo, continuing to play through a calf injury, posted a double-double of 12 points, 19 rebounds to go with three assists, two steals and a block while his frontcourt partner Brondial had 12 – seven of which he scored during the telling SMB rally in the third.
CJ Perez finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Juami Tiongson fired 14 points built on four triples to lead SMBs 14 three-point conversions after only shooting a measly 3-of-28 last time out.
Jericho Cruz had 12, Don Trollano with 11 and Jeron Teng, who was a spark off the bench, had nine for the Beermen who regained their offensive thrust after struggling late in the loss in Game 3.
SMB was even trailing by two, 56-58, when it started tearing the game apart with Fajardo, Brondial, Tiongson and Cruz all conniving in the rally that gave the Beermen a 78-61 advantage.
Ginebra did try to crawl back into the contest but SMB, with all the momentum on its side, would not be denied this time as the lead ballooned to as big as 27 in the final frame.
The Kings simply had no answer to the show of sheer firepower from the Beermen with Troy Rosario emerging as their best scorer with just 14 points to show. Scottie Thompson only had 11 while Japeth Aguilar finished with 10.