After riding the bench in Game 1 of San Miguel’s PBA Philippine Cup semifinal matchup against Barangay Ginebra, Jeron Teng provided a much-needed spark in the Beermen 93-84 win on Wednesday’s Game 2.
Teng did not see action in San Miguel’s 99-90 defeat in Game 1. And in Game 2, the 31-year-old wingman was subbed in in the third quarter of the game with 3:20 remaining in the frame.
About 30 seconds later, he forced a charging foul on Japeth Aguilar, setting the tone for the rest of the game, where he was not subbed out any longer.
Teng finished the game with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting, to go with five rebounds and three assists. He also tallied a +- of +13, just behind June Mar Fajardo’s +17.
After the game, San Miguel head coach Leo Austria admitted that he ‘felt guilty’ about not playing Teng in the previous game.
‘Guilting-guilty ako na after ng first game, hindi ko siya nagamit. After that game, dumating yung practice, I told him to be ready. And I have to appreciate him because he’s really a professional, no questions and no complaints,’ Austria told reporters after the game.
‘Sabi ko sa kaniya, your time will come anytime. And it happened today.’
Teng dropped 12 points in the final quarter. With Ginebra trailing by two, 68-70, he scored all 12 in the Beermen’s next 14 points that broke the game wide open, 84-77.
And while he did not score in the final 4:36 of the game, he still had two assists and a rebound in that stretch.
‘As a player, siyempre, ang mentality ko right now is just being ready whenever my number is called. I think sa game na ito, matured na ako. So I just focus on controlling what I have control of,’ Teng said.
‘Ako naman, I’m just here to really help out the team whatever the team needs me to do. So, I’m all in for us to win. I’m all for winning championship.’
He added that the team is respecting the whole Ginebra squad, which is why every one of them should step up.
With a breakout performance, Austria said that he sees a bigger role for Teng moving forward.
‘He has a different role. Maging during the elimination, iba yung role na ginagawa niya. And then I told him yesterday during our practice na be ready. Because I never doubted his professionalism,’ he said.
‘Walang complain o reklamo. But just like he said, he can control what he can control. Yan ang nangyayari. And when it comes to attitude, I think he’s one of the best.’
With the series now tied at one apiece, the pivotal Game 3 will be on Friday, 7:30 p.m., at the Big Dome.