Another Hard-Fought Win against Pasay: The Numbers that Secured A Semis Seat for the Knights

After the San Juan Knights barely escaped with a one-point win over the Pasay Voyagers in Game 1 of the best-of-3 North Division quarterfinal series, San Juan Coach Randy Alcantara was the first one to admit that Marlon Martin and the rest of his coaching staff almost had the blueprint to actually beat the defending champions in a close game and whether you like it or not, that blueprint almost worked if not to the heroics of John Wilson who scored 10 of his 11 points in the fourth quarter alone. 

And in Game 2 where team owner and former Senator Jinggoy Estrada was in attendance, the Knights almost succumbed to the same blueprint gameplay of the Voyagers but like in the opening game of the series, the Knights had John Wilson to save them in the fourth quarter to come out with a 74-67 win against the Voyagers to book a ticket to the North Division semifinals where they will meet the Pampanga Giant Lanterns who also had to sweat it out for a date with the Knights in the next round.

What made the difference for San Juan this time around?

The John Wilson Effect

No. John Wilson didn't have a high-scoring game in Game 2 even after scoring just 11 points in the first game. Game 2 saw Wilson going 4 for 14 from the field for all of his 17 points but when the game was on the line, Wilson didn't fail his team. He sparked an 11-2 finishing kick in the fourth quarter that gave the Knights the separation after blowing an early 12-point advantage. In the end, John Wilson's heroics was more than enough for San Juan as one of the league's top scorers also finished with 16 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in 32 minutes. 

Defense on Inigo

There was no denying the fact that Axel Inigo torched the Knights in Game 1 and he would be a marked man in Game 2. And that's exactly what happened.

In 32 minutes of action, Axel Inigo had to bleed for his points as he only finished with 7 points on 1 for 8 field goal shooting. He went 1 for 6 from the three-point distance but was perfect in his 4 attempts from the free-throw line. While Dhon Reverente was able to get his game going as he had 23 points and 14 rebounds which made the game already difficult for San Juan, the fact that the Knights were able to contain Axel Inigo played a huge role in their Game 2 victory. 

Major Adjustments Led to Major Results

One of the major problems that the Knights encountered in Game 1 was their turnovers. In Game 2, San Juan actually 22 turnovers- one more than Pasay had. But the difference is: San Juan had 24 points off those Pasay turnovers while the Voyagers only scored 9 points from the Knights' miscues. That's a big difference.

Rebounds also played a major key in Game 2 for the defending champions as San Juan won the rebounding battle- 51-43.  While the Knights had 31 defensive rebounds with 13 coming from John Wilson alone, the Knights had a +7 edge on the offensive boards which was a big difference as it allowed the Knights to score 21 second-chance points.  Fastbreak points also belonged to the Knights as they had a 9-3 advantage in that department. In a low-scoring affair such as Game 2, the more fastbreak points you score, the better your chances of winning the game. And San Juan did run and came away with the victory. 

41 Big Points from San Juan's Bench

In a game where John Wilson was the lone starter to score in double figures, and where PBA-bound Mike Ayonayon was held scoreless in 20 minutes, and where Larry Rodriquez was ejected in the third quarter, the bench troopers of Randy Alcantara needs to step up. And they did.

The Knights' bench scored 41 points led by Jhonard Clarito who had 13 points and 12 rebounds in 32 minutes. Orlan Wamar added 10 points of his own while Rodriquez scored 8 points before he got tossed. On the other hand, Pasay's bench only had 28 points. 

Photo is from SPIN.ph