SMB goes to 4-0 as Magnolia's late run falls short

Cameron Clark struggled a bit in scoring, but his clutch layup helped San Miguel seal off Magnolia. PBA Images

By Ivan Saldajeno

QUEZON CITY—San Miguel heaved a sigh of relief in the end as Magnolia's final push fell short and let its sister team escape with a 100-98 win in their PBA Governors' Cup game on Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

A Cameron Clark layup with 1:20 left for a 100-91 lead turned out to be the needed cushion for the Beermen as the Hotshots tried to turn the tides from there.

Mark Barroca responded with a three-pointer and Calvin Abueva made back-to-back layups that cut SMB's lead down to two with 18 seconds.

Magnolia tried to go for a steal before eventually settling on fouling CJ Perez with 10 seconds left, but Perez, a steady free-throw shooter, missed two charities, giving his opponent a chance to steal the game.

With no timeout left, however, the Hotshots settled for a Paul Lee triple that only rimmed out as the final buzzer sounded.

Clark finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block, while Marcio Lassiter added 18 points, all on triples, four rebounds, four assists, and one block for the Beermen, who tied the NLEX Road Warriors and the Converge FiberXers at number one in the team standings at 4-0.

Lee made 19 points, two rebounds, four assists, and two steals for the Hotshots, who remained winless at 0-3.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno