MANILA, Philippines — The San Miguel Beermen kept their three-peat hopes alive as they overwhelmed the undermanned TNT KaTropa, 96-83, in Game 7 of their PBA Philippine Cup semifinals series on Monday at Mall of Asia Arena.

The two-time defending champion Beermen used a dominant third quarter, anchored by their starting five, to pull away from the KaTropa, who were playing without injured star point guard Jayson Castro in the win-or-go home showdown.

Thanks to a strong display from their starters, the Beermen advanced to the Finals of the Philippine Cup for the third straight season, where they now have a chance to win the All-Filipino crown for the third consecutive time.

"I knew from the start of the series that this will be a tough series for us," said SMB coach Leo Austria, who has now piloted the Beermen to four finals appearances in seven conferences.

"If there's a team na kinakatakutan namin, it's TNT because they are loaded with a lot of talent."

Austria acknowledged that the Beermen got a bit of a break, as they played a shorthanded TNT team in both Games 6 and 7. Sophomore forward Troy Rosario sat out the sixth game due to his wedding, and Castro's injured hamstring kept him out of the do-or-die game.

"Siguro nga, destiny na ito," said Austria, now eyeing a fourth title in four tries with the Beermen.

Explosive third quarter

It looked as though the game would be a defensive struggle akin to the other semifinals match-up between Ginebra and Star, as both teams found points hard to come by in a tight first half. SMB shot only 38%, and TNT only 37%, with the Beermen taking a slim 41-39 lead at the halftime break.

San Miguel thoroughly took over with an explosive third quarter, however. With their starters — June Mar Fajardo, Arwind Santos, Marcio Lassiter, Alex Cabagnot, and Chris Ross — playing the entire frame, the Beermen outscored the KaTropa, 36-21, to turn what had been a two-point game into a 77-60 lead heading into the final quarter.

The Beermen thoroughly dissected TNT's defense in the third quarter, with Cabagnot and Ross orchestrating the offense fluidly. Cabagnot expertly ran a pick-and-roll with Fajardo on two straight possessions, resulting in back-to-back layups. In their next trip, Ross found Cabagnot for a wide-open three-pointer that made it 70-51 with 3:38 left.

The lead ballooned to as many as 20 points, 77-57, after Gabby Espinas — the lone reserve to see action in the third canto — knocked down an awkward shot with under 44 seconds to play.

"I don't know kung ano ang nangyari sa third quarter," Austria said. "Na-arrest namin ang weakness namin pagdating ng third quarter, kasi dati, bumabagsak kami."

"This time, maganda ang nilaro namin, maybe because of the sense of urgency ng mga players," he added.

San Miguel made 15 of their 19 attempts from the field in the third frame, with 10 of those field goals being assisted. They also held down the fort on the defensive end, as TNT made only seven of their 21 shots.

Collapse averted

TNT opened the fourth frame with an 8-2 run that cut the lead to 11, 79-68, with still 10:24 left to play. Rookie Roger Pogoy proved to be a thorn on SMB's side, as he converted an and-1 play and then scored in transition to cap the rally.

The Beermen, however, averted a collapse thanks again to their starters. Santos snapped TNT's run with a big time three-pointer, and Fajardo's two-handed slam dunk put them on top, 84-70, with 8:41 left.

TNT would come to within nine points, 92-83, with 1:14 left after a three-pointer by Rosario, but it would be too little, too late for the KaTropa.

"I commend our entire team," Austria said.

"Talagang they really worked hard for this. They want to live up to the expectations of so many people, kasi from the start of the season, alam nila na SMB should be a team to beat."

Fajardo (22 points, 19 rebounds), Santos (22 points, 13 rebounds), and Ross (18 points, 11 assists) finished with double-doubles for the Beermen, while Cabagnot had 14 points and seven assists, and Lassiter added 12 points, six boards, and four dimes.

San Miguel got only eight points from their bench while TNT's reserves scored 34, but it barely mattered thanks to the dominance of their first five.

After shooting 38% in the first half, the Beermen found their flow on offense and finished the game with a 48% shooting clip. They had 26 assists to only 17 for TNT, and they limited the KaTropa to only 38% from the field.

Tight first half

The Beermen took an early 18-7 lead in the first quarter, with Cabagnot pouncing on a poor pass from Kris Rosales to score in transition for the 11-point lead. But the KaTropa switched things up defensively then, using a full court press to force turnovers from the usually steady Ross.

Back-to-back layups from Rosario and Ranidel de Ocampo — both off SMB throwaways — highlighted a 12-4 TNT run that made it a three-point game, 22-19, at the end of the opening frame.

Danny Seigle gave the KaTropa a lift in the second quarter, converting two straight field goals to give his team a 26-24 lead. It was a back-and-forth game from that point, with TNT relying on offensive rebounding to get second chance points, while the Beermen got out in transition and leaned on Fajardo's charities to get on the board.

Two free throws by the reigning three-time MVP gave the Beermen a slim 41-39 lead at the halftime break, before they completely broke the game open in the third quarter.

Larry Fonacier had 14 points to lead TNT, while Pogoy added 13 and Kelly Williams scored 11. But TNT clearly missed the presence and playmaking of Castro, who watched from the crowd as his teammates failed to hold on amidst San Miguel's third quarter storm.

The Beermen will face either Barangay Ginebra or Star in the best-of-seven Finals series that starts on Friday at the MOA Arena.

The scores:

SAN MIGUEL 96 — Fajardo 22, Santos 22, Ross 18, Cabagnot 14, Lassiter 12, Espinas 8, Heruela 0, Garcia 0, Tubid 0, De Ocampo 0.

TNT 83 — Fonacier 14, Pogoy 13, Williams 11, Rosser 9, De Ocampo 9, Reyes 7, Rosales 6, Tautuaa 5, Rosario 5, Seigle 4, Tamsi 0.

Quarterscores: 22-19, 41-39, 77-60, 96-83

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