Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — TNT KaTropa held off the San Miguel Beermen, 101-94, in Game 5 of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup semifinals on Thursday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Kelly Williams tallied 18 points, seven rebounds, and three steals for KaTropa.
TNT dictated the pace early on the match, but the Beermen found their groove in the latter part of the first quarter to end up with a 32-24 advantage.
Trailing by double digits at the halftime break, SMB was able to weather the storm and come back within striking distance.
Huge three-pointers by Marcio Lassiter and Alex Cabagnot gave San Miguel its first taste of the lead midway in the third frame only to be taken away by Ranidel Ocampo.
The 35-year-old Williams bested younger players after scoring eight of the last 12 points of KaTropa.
Misses from the charity stripe did not help the Beermen during the crucial portion of the game.
Arwind Santos had 18 points, while Cabagnot contributed 17 points for SMB.
Asked if the series will end in Game 6, TNT head coach Nash Racela is wary of San Miguel’s ability to stage a comeback.
“I don’t know, you cannot say. San Miguel was able to come back from 1-3. Winning two games straight is easier than three,” Racela said.
Game Six is slated on February 18 (Saturday) at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The scores:
TNT (101) – Castro 18, Williams 18, De Ocampo 18, Pogoy 11, Reyes 9, Rosales 8, Fonacier 7, Seigle 4, Carey 2, Tautuaa 2, Rosario 2, Rosser 0, Golla 0, Sumalinog 0.
San Miguel (94) – Santos 18, Cabagnot 17, Lassiter 16, Ross 15, Fajardo 13, Espinas 9, Reyes 4, Garcia 2, Agovida 0, Tubid 0.
Quarterscores: 24-32, 50-40, 73-69, 101-94.
