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| Chris McCullough led the San Miguel Beermen to book a date with the TnT KaTropa for the Finals series of the Commissioner's Cup. PBA Images |
By Xy-Zha Cabanlong
QUEZON CITY - The San Miguel Beermen finished off their semifinals series against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 98-95, on a rainy Friday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
It was a tough battle, with the Beermen down by as much as 13 points and having to depend on a late scoring run to eventually close their series and prevent a rubber match.
Chris McCullough delivered as expected, scoring 35 points, including that massive three-point shot to give a 2-point advantage to San Miguel; 96-94 with over two minutes left in the ballgame.
San Miguel's defensive stops worked its wonders that they have kept the Elasto Painters from scoring to equalise the game.
Terrence Romeo added the damage by scoring a jumper with over a minute left in the game, doubling the lead; 98-94.
Rey Nambatac attempted on a three-pointer to cut the lead to 3 points but it was a no-go. However, he was fouled by Romeo as he was able to pick up an offensive rebound that sent him on the line.
Despite Nambatac's chance to cut the lead down to 2 points, he was only able to convert 1 out of 2 foul shots.
While Rain or Shine was able to force San Miguel to commit a turnover, Nambatac again missed an attempt from beyond the arc that could have sent the game into overtime.
The Beermen used the clock to their advantage to walk away with an upset for the Elasto Painters.
The finals series of the Commissioner's Cup will commence on Sunday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum with McCullough finally getting to match up with Terrence Jones of the TNT KaTropa.
Follow her on Twitter: @_ichbinxyzha
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