Alex Cabagnot and the San Miguel Beermen made Game Two of the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup Finals their own show as they apart tore Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 134-109, Sunday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The 35-year-old gunslinger fired 33 points, with 22 in the first half alone where he led the Beermen to a 75-46 advantage at the break – more than enough to stifle Ginebra and to send the series back to square one.
Cabagnot – who only had five points in San Miguel’s 99-127 loss in Game One – shot 12-of-18 from the field, including 5-of-11 from downtown. The reigning Finals Most Valuable Player also had nine assists, four steals, and four rebounds.
“The factor is the shooting percentage of our wingmen, especially Alex Cabagnot. Kung obssessed ang kalaban nung Game One, si Alex kanina obsessed din,” lauded San Miguel head coach Leo Austria. “He can feel it, he really wants to win.”
Five more Beermen finished in double figures in the victory. June Mar Fajardo had 25 points with eight rebounds, while the troika of Marcio Lassiter, Christian Standhardinger, and Renaldo Balkman chalked up 20 markers apiece.
Arwind Santos had 14 points.
Santos only played 19 minutes and 29 seconds, as he was ejected from the game with five minutes left due to a flagrant foul penalty two, which he was slapped with after decking Scottie Thompson to the ground.
Chris Ross followed suit just seconds after Santos’ departure, as he was whistled for his second technical foul following his spat with Ginebra’s Joe Devance. He left the match with five dimes, three boards, and two steals.
“I cannot blame them for their intensity, but they should be smart next time,” said Austria. “Sana hindi na nangyari yung technical.”
Justin Brownlee, who had 42 markers back in Game One, led the Barangay with 29 points, six rebounds, and five assists. The frontrunner for this conference’s Best Import award failed to finish the game, as he was whistled for six fouls.
Devance had 16 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Thompson made 16 points as well with seven boards, while Greg Slaughter provided 15 points. LA Tenorio flirted with a double-double with 13 points and seven assists.
The defending champions will look to sustain momentum and take the series lead in Game Three on Wednesday, August 1, 7:00 PM still at the Big Dome.
The Scores:
San Miguel 134 – Cabagnot 33, Fajardo 25, Lassiter 20, Balkman 20, Standhardinger 20, Santos 14, Mamaril 2, Ross 0, Lanete 0, Ganuelas-Rosser 0, Pessumal 0, Vigil 0.
Ginebra 109 – Brownlee 29, Devance 16, Thompson 16, Slaughter 15, Tenorio 13, Mercado 11, Chan 4, R. Aguilar 2, Manuel 2, J. Aguilar 1, Ferrer 0, Caguioa 0, Cruz 0, Caperal 0, Mariano 0, Jamito 0.
Quarterscores: 34-23, 75-46, 99-79, 134-109.
