San Miguel Beermen Basketball Games Updates

Photo Credit: PBA.ph

Fully rested after being blownout in the first game of the series, the San Miguel Beermen came back with a vengeance as they disconnected the Talk N Text Tropang Texters, 112-103 in Game 2 of the semifinal series anchored on the explosive performance of Danny Seigle.

The win was made possible by San Miguel’s unforgiving defense limiting Talk N Text’s outside guns specially the guards including Macmac Cardona and Renren Ritualo. Hats off to Dondon Hontiveros and Bonbon Custodio for a defensive job well done!

I am one of the very happy fans to see our very own Dynamite Danny Seigle explode once again and take over San Miguel Beermen’s offense. So to those who believed that Siot and Danny Seigle have personal issues when he was benched before, it’s absolutely NOT true. Siot is only looking for the welfare of Danny Seigle not to aggravate his injury.

Olsen Racela also contributed heavily in orchestrating the team’s play specially during fast breaks. Marc Pingris was also all over the floor getting good passes by moving without the ball.

Meanwhile, it’s not good to hear that Dorian Pena suffered a right foot sprain and Lordy Tugade with a nagging left knee tendinitis. But these are not major injuries so they are expected to be back soon in the series.

Game 3 will be an exciting one as both teams jockey up for win # 2.

More of the game highlights from Philippine Basketball Association (pba.ph) below:

SMB-TNT SERIES BACK TO SQUARE ONE
Seigle, Hontiveros sparkle as Beermen rebound, win Game 2
Friday, 16 January 2009

San Miguel Beermen coach Siot Tanquingcen would not say it out loud, but a little rest can indeed spell a world of difference.

The Beermen played with a lot more intensity to more than make up for some sidelined teammates and get back at Talk ‘N Text, 112-103, Friday in their KFC PBA Philippine Cup semifinals series at the Araneta Coliseum.

Fully recovered from a previous gruelling series, Dondon Hontiveros and Danny Seigle came up with 23 points each to lead a balanced SMB scoring that atoned for their 129-100 loss in the opener of the best-of-seven duel last Wednesday and even up the best-of-seven duel.

Three other SMB players finished in double figures and their splendid defensive efforts stifled TNT’s usual sources of firepower, prompting Tanquingcen to give credit to the slight mind-set adjustments they made following the loss in the opener.

“We came out really flat last time, parang me hangover pa from our last game,” said Tanquingcen. “Tonight we were more aggressive and that dictated the tempo of the game.”

He, however, refused to treat the win more than what it was basically was — an equalizer.

“I still expect a tough series,” he maintained. “Talk ‘N Text remains a very tough team and you can never say what’s going to happen in the next game. Katulad ngayon, nag-struggle na sila dikit pa rin.

“We must remain mentally focused and have the same energy.”

Ranidel de Ocampo had 19 points and 10 rebounds for his 10th double-double in the conference while three other TNT players chipped in 10 points each.

Jimmy Alapag wound up with 17 points and five assists with Harvey Carey adding 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds and Ali Peek with 10 and 11, but the Tropang Texters failed to draw the usual numbers from Mac-Mac Cardona and Ren-Ren Ritualo.

Cardona, the leading Best Player of the Conference candidate, scored only eight points in 20 minutes, being taken out for good 4:15 left in the game after also garnering six rebounds, two assists and seven rebounds which however came with a game-high seven turnovers.

Ritualo also wound up with eight points, which were 16 short of his Game One output.

“You’re always gonna have games like that where you struggle. Maybe off sila, but I’m not going to take anything away from our guards,” Tanquingcen pointed out.

Hontiveros was main culprit in limiting Cardona to his second lowest conference output that was 13 points off his Game One total.

Bonbon Custodio helped along on Ritualo while scoring 16 points, 11 in the third quarter that enabled SMB to pad a 59-54 halftime lead to 84-71 going into the payoff period.

Olsen Racela’s return from a one-game suspension also helped make up for SMB’s depletions while lending stability and poise to the Beermen, who seized full control right from the first quarter before leading by as much as 84-68, 1:13 to go in the third period.

“Big deal talaga si Olsen dahil hindi lang siya ang team captain kundi driver, susi ng team na ito,” said Tanquingcen.

Lordy Tugade did not play due to a nagging left knee tendinitis and Dorian Pena suffered a right foot sprain and had to be taken out for good barely two minutes into the third period.

The Tropang Texters’ most noteworthy fightback came when they managed to trim the deficit to just 87-93, off a five-point spurt capped by Jimmy Alapag’s triple, 5:46 left. But that was the closest they would get.

In all, TNT shot only 40-of-94 from the field to SMB’s 40-of-86, negating the Texters’ 59-46 advantage off the boards.

In their first meeting TNT pulled away early and even led by as many as 37 points. Coach Chot Reyes later on attributed the lopsided win to the fatigue factor on SMB’s side since the latter had to go through the wildcard and a gruelling quarterfinals series with Barangay Ginebra that went the full three game-route.

The Beermen came into Friday’s game with more energy and this was shown most when they held the Texters to just 19-of-48 field shooting in the first half, a big defensive improvement from their lethargic Game One effort where TNT’s early 18-0 bomb ripped the game wide open right in the first period.

Ritualo, Alapag and Cardona, who combined for 65 points last Wednesday in accounting for 13 of TNT’s all-time record-tying 23 triples, were held to just 19 points in the first 24 minutes.

Also unlike in the opener, offense was no problem for SMB as the likes of Hontiveros, Jay Washington, Marc Pingris and even Jonas Villanueva joined hands in giving their team as much as a 55-40 lead before taking the half 59-54. (NCo)

The scores:

San Miguel Beer 112 – Hontiveros 23, Seigle 23, Custodio 16, Washington 14, Pingris 11, Racela 9, Villanueva 8, Pennisi 6, Pena 2, Gonzales 0.

Talk ‘N Text 103 – De Ocampo R. 19, Alapag 17, Carey 13, Peek 10, Castro 9, Cardona 8, Ritualo 8, Dillinger 7, Reyes 6, De Ocampo Y. 6, Aljamal 0, Lao 0.

Quarterscores: 27-26, 59-54, 84-71, 112-103.

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