Terrific exposure

We gained a lot of knowledge and experience in this tournament.

DEZ Wells powers San Miguel Beer to a semifinal finish in the Terrific 12.

MACAU — Given the opportunity, San Miguel Beer head coach Leo Austria won’t think twice returning to the East Asia Super League Terrific 12 tournament.

The Beermen were the lone Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) team to advance to the next round in this tough 12-club event and although Lance Stephenson and the Liaoning Flying Leopards eliminated them in the semifinals Saturday night, Austria said it broadened their perspectives in international brand of play.

“We’re so lucky we’re invited here and we’re looking forward to be invited next year. We gained a lot of knowledge and experience in this tournament,” said Austria, whose team was drubbed by the Chinese club, 89-111.

“We’re able to see a lot of good players from the CBA (Chinese Basketball Association), KBL (Korea Basketball League) and B.League of Japan. By joining this tournament, you can see your neighbors how good they are. It’s a good opportunity for us to learn,” he added.

And Austria’s realization of the international player transpired Saturday night when the Flying Leopards — the 2017 CBA champions — punished them with a near-perfect perimeter game.

The Chinese club hit 15 triples compared to the Beermen’s nine while the Flying Leopards committed just 13 turnovers while they had 17.

Stephenson and seven-foot-two Tunisian center Salah Mejri were the big thorns in the San Miguel side as the two former National Basketball Association veterans complemented well with their Chinese teammates.

“It’s hard to win if you committed a lot of turnovers and gave up 15 turnover points and 20 second chance points in only 40 minutes of basketball,” Austria said.

“It’s very obvious that Lance Stephenson is really a high-caliber player and it’s hard to contain him. And he got a lot of support not only from Mejri but also from the local players,” he added.

The Brooklyn-born Stephenson, a nine-year NBA veteran, dished out 35 points and 10 rebounds while Mejri added 21 points, 11 boards and four blocks.

Skipper Shiyan Gao delivered 14 points while Tianju He added 13 markers and Zhixuan Liu and Xu Guo chipped in nine apiece for the Flying Leopards, who were playing Seoul SK Knights as of press time for the Terrific 12 crown.

San Miguel import Denz Wells, who averaged 36.5 points in the group, was not in his element in the semis as he was bothered by foul trouble and finished with just 16 points on 7-of-19 shooting from the field.

Still, Austria was satisfied of what his team has accomplished here as they were managed to reach the medal round.

“I’m still proud of our team because we were able to give something back to the (Filipino) community here. We were able to meet a lot of Filipinos here in Macau,” said Austria, whose wards were battling Guangsha Lions for third place as of press time.

“As I’ve said, we’re not here just to participate, but to compete. And this will help us in our future tournament. We have to develop the winning attitude that’s why every game is really important for us,” he added.

The team returns to the country Monday as it prepares for the PBA Governors’ Cup.

The Beermen play Phoenix on Wednesday as they gun for the franchise’s second grand slam this season.