Cabagnot hits game winner, SMB nips Alaska

Alex Cabagnot atoned for an earlier miscue by hitting the game-winning basket as San Miguel Beer edged Alaska, 99-97, in a dramatic end to the PBA Philippine Cup’s main game Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

With the score tied at 97, Cabagnot dribbled the final 11.5 seconds of the tightly-fought match before making his move, going strong to the basket and converting on a left floater off the outstretched arms of Alaska counterpart L.A. Tenorio. Pandemonium broke loose once the ball went in, shattering the game’s final deadlock and leaving the Aces with only three tenths of a second to make one last play. But Joe DeVance’s desperation shot from the three-point region didn’t even hit the rim as time expired, allowing the Beermen to escape with the victory and gain a share of the lead with the Talk `N Text Tropang Texters. “I’m just happy that we won. It was just a lucky shot," said Cabagnot, who finished with 10 points and 10 assists, but nearly ended up the goat when he fouled Tenorio off Alaska’s quick inbound play with 13 seconds left and San Miguel holding on to a slim 97-96 lead. Tenorio could only split his charities to tie the game for the last time. It was the third straight win for the Beermen since Ato Agustion took over the team’s coaching chores. Overall, they are now 4-1 in a tie with the Tropang Texters, a 108-89 winner over Powerade in the first game. Arwind Santos paced San Miguel with 27 points, 19 of them coming in the second half when the Beermen led by as many as 19. Dondon Hontiveros added 26 on 6-of-8 shooting from beyond-the-arc. The game was a heartbreaker for the Aces, who lost for the second straight game after winning their first three assignments of the season. DeVance led the reigning Fiesta Cup champions with 22 points and eight assists. His 18-foot jumper gave the Aces a 96-93 lead in the final 1:24 of the contest. But Jay Washington hit a free throw and Dorian Pena, fresh coming off the bench, scored on a putback as San Miguel leveled the count, 96-96, with 62 seconds left. The Aces bungled two of their next plays, including a perfect block from behind by Cabagnot on Tenorio that led to a San Miguel fastbreak and a duty foul by Tenorio on Santos. The do-it-all San Miguel forward made the front end of his free throws to give San Miguel back the lead, 97-96. - KY, RCJ, GMANews.TV