Coach Randy Alcantara said San Juan-Go for Gold treated Game 2 as a do-or-die match following their 77-75 defeat to Davao Occidental-Cocolife in the series opener.

This is why they were able to hammer out a difficult 70-65 win against the Tigers on Thursday to knot the best-of-5 showdown, 1-1.

"Tinake namin ito as parang knockout game na talaga," said San Juan coach Alcantara.

The Knights knew that falling behind a 0-2 series deficit will be a big blow to their title campaign, especially in a race-to-3 championship series.

"Kasi kung ma 0-2 kami, mahirap nang makabawi. S'yempre 'yung fatigue eh kasi 'di ba magkakasunod ang laro," he said.

Trailing 43-50 midway through the third period, the Knights went on a huge 20-5 run bridging through the fourth quarter, capped by John Wilson's triple at the 4:14 mark to turn the tables, 63-55.

Mike Ayonayon had 9 of his 15 points during that spirited rally.

• MPBL: San Juan ties series with Davao Occidental with Game 2 win

Two free throws from Emman Calo got the Tigers to within four, 64-60, with 2:26 left but that would be the closest they could get until the waning seconds of the game.

Wilson, who came off the bench, top-scored for the defending champions with 17 points built on 3 triples with 3 rebounds and 2 steals.

On top of his 15-point scoring output, Ayonayon also had 9 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Jhonard Clarito just missed out on a double-double with 9 points and 11 rebounds.

Calo led all scorers with 26 markers, including the last 10 Davao points, plus 5 rebounds, and 4 steals.

Mark Yee contributed 13 points and 10 boards but went just 2-of-11 from the field while Billy Robles tallied 11 markers and 10 rebounds.

Game 3 is scheduled to take place on Saturday.

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