The Beermen pounded out a 79-78 victory over the Gin Kings Sunday night as Miller, like in their first round meeting, failed to rescue Ginebra as San Miguel virtually sealed a twice-to-beat quarterfinal privilege in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
Jay Washington tipped in the marginal basket with 13.4 seconds remaining before Arwind Santos, in a virtual repeat of his defensive heroics in a 69-68 first round victory, blocked Miller’s potential game-winning short stab to seal San Miguel’s ninth win in 11 games.
“I think we are just very lucky against them,” San Miguel coach Ato Agustin told reporters in Filipino. “It was like the very same play (as in the first round).”
San Miguel actually blew a 14-point third quarter lead as Ginebra battled back like crazy behind Mark Caguioa, to even take the lead several times, the last at 78-77 after Rudy Hatfield hit a short stab off a Ronal Tubid assist with 28.7 seconds remaining.
Washington bullied his way underneath, getting Willy Wilson out of the way to throw up a baby hook, missing the shot but tipping the ball back in the hoop and giving the Kings a chance to regain the lead.
Ginebra coach Jong Uichico went to Miller again in the endgame, and the former two-time MVP drove off Santos only for the San Miguel swingman to get a piece of the ball in mid-flight that triggered a scramble for possession which the Beermen won through Alex Cabagnot.
The loss was a deflating one for the Kings, who came into the game the winners of their last six games and who have not lost since Oct. 17, when the Beermen dealt them a 69-68 nipping also when Miller fumbled the ball out of bounds while trying to shake off Santos.
“There were also people out there who lost their footing (in the endgame),” Agustin said in jest.
Dondon Hontiveros led the Beermen with 20 points, 11 of them coming in the third period when the Beermen erected a 64-50 lead with 2:14 left after Hontiveros hit one of his four triples.
Caguioa then hit nine straight points as the Kings were able to narrow the gap, 59-66, at the end of the third and start the fourth in the same fiery way.
Rookie Jimbo Aquino, who was the NCAA MVP when Agustin won the championship for San Sebastian last year, hit two triples in a short Ginebra spurt as the Kings pulled level at 68 with 6:50 to go.
And that proved to be the game’s last tie as Hontiveros shattered it with his last three-pointer that also snapped a long San Miguel spell before the entire squad clamped down hard on Ginebra’s offense.
“I’m very proud of my players because I didn’t see them give up, especially on the defensive end,” Agustin said. “They didn’t lose their composure even after we lost that 14-point lead. They never got rattled.”
Ginebra thus dropped to 7-3, still second in the standings and still half-a-game ahead of third-running Talk ‘N Text, which the Kings will still play in the next two weeks.
Tournament format calls for the top two teams after the elimination round to get twice-to-beat incentives in the quarterfinals, where the top eight teams will advance.
Caguioa went on to lead Ginebra with 16 points, nine of them in the third period, which went with nine rebounds. Ronald Tubid had 15 and Miller 11 points, nine boards and six assists.
Hatfield finished with 10 markers and 13 boards, while Washington wound up with 11 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in another impressive stint.
Meanwhile, Alaska got back to .500 after an 87-76 decision of Barako Bull in the first game.
Cyrus Baguio scattered 19 points and Joe Devance added 16 as the Aces led by as many as 23 early in the fourth period before cruising to their fifth win in 10 games and deal the Energy Boosters their fifth straight loss.
Barako Bull dropped to 2-8 and is a prime candidate to becoming the first of two teams to get the boot.
