Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The Mahindra Floodbuster were close to notching their first victory in the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup but fell short, 94-91, against the San Miguel Beermen on Sunday evening at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
June Mar Fajardo paced the Beermen with 28 markers and 15 rebounds.
The winless Floodbuster looked dominant after tipoff, touting a 36-23 lead over the defending Philippine Cup champions at the 7:07 mark of the second frame.
But San Miguel clawed their way back and finally took their first taste of the lead, 62-59, through a Ronald Tubid trey with 3:19 left to play in third quarter.
Mahindra refused to go down quietly and had the 88-87 edge over the Beermen with 1:38 left in regulation.
Unfortunately for the Floodbuster, a series of empty trips on the offensive end in the stretch drive proved costly as San Miguel took the 94-91 lead with 4 ticks left on the clock.
Alex Mallari drove the ball down the length court, but his attempt game-tying triple did not hit the mark as time expired.
Mallari led the Floodbuster with 21 points.
The San Miguel Beermen improved to a 3-1 win-loss slate, while Mahindra are still looking for their first victory with a 0-4 record.
The Beermen look to build on their win when they take on the NLEX Road Warriors on Wednesday, while Mahindra continue their hunt for their first win against Barangay Ginebra on Friday.
