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Thursday, June 09, 2005
SMB beats Aces
By Jade S. Violeta
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
San Miguel kept its poise in the face of a desperate attack by Alaska yesterday for a nail-biting 73-71 victory at the Araneta Coliseum in a knockout game for an automatic semifinal berth.
The Beermen will join the Talk ‘N Text Phone Pals in the semifinals of the Gran Matador-PBA Fiesta Conference, while the Aces will join the seven other teams in the wildcard phase, where they will have a twice-to-beat edge against No.10-seed Coca-Cola Tigers.
“I feel so relieved. It was very tough fighting the Aces and I guess the breaks of the game just went on our side at the right time,” said San Miguel coach Jong Uichico in a post-game interview.
The Beermen, who earned at least a week-long rest, took advantage of the Aces’ ailing import, Dickey Simpkins, who played with back spasms.
With Alaska coach Tim Cone’s reinforcement hardly a force to reckon with, the Beermen’s returning import Chris Burgess wreaked havoc from all angles of the floor as he banged in 28 markers, grabbed 11 boards and inked six blocks to win the Best Player of the Game award.
Burgess, who was sidelined for a game with an injury, was reactivated by Uichico in favor of temporary replacement Tommy Smith, hoping to cushion Danny Seigle’s absence.
(June 9, 2005 issue)
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