Friday, December 15, 2023

Trollano adapts smoothly as SMB turns back Ginebra

Don Trollano had an instant impact in his debut for San Miguel Beer, contributing to their 95-82 victory over defending champion Ginebra in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Friday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Beermen acquired the high-scoring guard through a three-team trade with NorthPort and NLEX and got a 16-point yield from the trade courtesy of Trollano.

This allowed San Miguel to end a two-game slide while inflicting another defeat on Ginebra’s record.

Chris Ross topscored the Beermen with 22 points, while Cruz added 16 markers of his own.

“Don’s been great. I’ve been raving for Don for years now, competing against him for so many years,” said Ross.

“He picked up the offense and read the defense they have been running. He’s super low-maintenance, super quiet guy. But he’s a big help.”

After a sluggish first period, the Beermen held the Kings to just 14 and 16 points in the middle quarters to erect a 24-point lead.

But Ginebra came fighting back in the fourth period, pulling to within just 79–75.

Things became more challenging for San Miguel when import Ivan Aska sat out for three minutes after being whistled for Flagrant Foul No. 1.

But Jericho Cruz and Ross engineered a searing 13-0 run that led to Ginebra’s defeat.

Tony Bishop had 20 points for the Kings, who fell to 4-3, the same record as San Miguel.

The post Trollano adapts smoothly as SMB turns back Ginebra first appeared on Fastbreak.


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