The San Miguel Beermen (SMB) were able to redeem themselves from their Game Three loss against the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters, by dominating their 2019 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup semifinals opponents, 114-91, in Game Four of the best-of-seven series last Tuesday, April 23 at the Cuneta Astrodome.
New recruit Terrence Romeo led the way for SMB at 20 points – 18 of those points from six successful shots beyond the arc and 17 being scored in the third quarter alone. Alex Cabagnot followed with 18 points, while Arwind Santos chipped 16 points. For Phoenix, it was last game’s Player of the Game Calvin Abueva who stayed consistent as the team’s only double-digit scorer, with a double-double as well at 19 points and 15 rebounds.
This game is highly cited for being one of the most physical throughout the season, the referees calling a total of eight technical fouls and ejecting Fuel Masters’ Alex Mallari and Jaypee Mendoza. Yet, SMB’s Coach Leo Austria remains to have a positive response about his team’s win, stating, “Although it was really physical, our players did not back down. They are very smart. There were a lot of technical fouls but fortunately, we were not able to give up free throws from our opponent.” He added, “Finally, we have a good start out of this four games. I think that’s what we need, to have a good start. We were able to dictate the tempo of the game,” also referring to San Miguel’s 19 point conversion with Phoenix’s 22 turnovers.
SMB fans are anticipating Game Five of the rivalry on Thursday, April 25 at the same venue, as the Beermen have the opportunity to close out the series and move on to the next round.