San Miguel Beermen grounds Meralco Bolts in PBA showdown

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

 

No matter the adversity, the San Miguel Beermen just keep on finding ways to win the ballgame.

Wednesday’s game found the Beermen going up against the surging and hot Meralco Bolts squad.

The Beermen overcame a double-digit deficit and banked on Moala Tautuaa’s dominant outing in the paint to help San Miguel notch their third straight win, 89-82.

Chris Newsome and Reynel Hugnatan looked to provide the scoring punch for Meralco early in the first half as Hugnatan’s shooting became a problem for the Beermen.

Eager to have the right adjustment defensively, coach Leo Austria sent in Chriss Ross and played him heavy minutes to disrupt Meralco’s passing lanes which became effective as the defensive guard immediately registered two steals upon his entry.

With less than two minutes left in the third quarter, Meralco looked to run over the defending champions but the Beermen shifted to a higher gear, employing a 21-4 scoring run which shocked coach Norman Black and the Bolts.

Tautuaa was unstoppable in the post while Arwind Santos found his rhythm from the perimeter to help turn things around and eventually take control of the ball game, 83-71.

Santos finished the game with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals while Tautuaa had 23 points and five rebounds.