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Kevin Murphy (L) and Christian Standhardinger joined forces once more as San Miguel put the clamps on TNT KaTropa in Calasiao, Pangasinan. PBA Media Bureau.
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MANILA—San Miguel leaned on a dominant fourth-quarter assault
plus the timely explosion of Kevin Murphy as it rallied past TNT KaTropa,
107-96, in the Saturday Special of the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Calasiao
Sports Center i
Murphy delivered dagger hits as the Beermen came back from
an 11-point deficit to boost its record to an even 4-4 record heading into a
crucial stage of the elimination round.
With TNT leading, 89-78, with 8:45 left in the final canto, Murphy
connived with Chris Ross, Christian Standhardinger, Marcio Lassiter, and Alex
Cabagnot in a telling 20-3 run capped by a Ross three-pointer for a 98-92 advantage at the 2:33 mark.
Consecutive misses by TNT led to two back-breaking triples
from Murphy, the last one giving SMB a 104-96 cushion in the final 30 seconds.
Being shackled for three quarters, Murphy finished one
assists shy of a triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists,
while Standhardinger continued his dominant performance with 21 markers, 13
boards, and three blocks.
Arwind Santos added 18, while Lassiter and Ross combined for
23 points for San Miguel, which won back-to-back games for the first time this
conference.
The loss relegated TNT to a tie with idle NLEX with 4-5 cards.
It was also the first under new coach Bong Ravena and team consultant Mark
Dickel.
Marqus Blakely chipped in 26 points, 18 rebounds, and eight
assists, while Roger Pogoy and Terrence Romeo cashed in 21 and 18,
respectively. The team still continue to miss injured guard Jayson Castro.
The scores:
San Miguel 107 - Murphy 27, Standhardinger 21, Santos 18,
Lassiter 13, Ross 10, Cabagnot 6, De Ocampo 0, Heruela 0, Mamaril 0.
TNT 96 - Blakely 26, Pogoy 21, Romeo 18, Williams 11, Cruz
7, Trollano 6, Carey 4, Rosario 2, Garcia 1, Reyes 0, Paredes 0.
Quarters: 27-25, 50-54, 75-80, 107-96.
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