Chris McCullough and June Mar Fajardo connived to tow San Miguel past Rain or Shine, 89-87, to formalize their entry in the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup, Saturday evening at Xavier University Gym, Cagayan de Oro City.
The former NBA cager and the league’s reigning five-time MVP formed a potent 1-2 punch down the stretch to turn the Beermen’s slim one-point lead to an 89-82 edge, before the rest stepped up to ward off the Elasto Painters.
McCullough — who averaged 42.0 points in his first two games — had 24 points,17 rebounds, five blocks, four assists, and a steal. Fajardo produced 24 markers, 15 boards, three blocks, and an assist in the victory that hiked SMB’s card to 5-5.
SMB now has a chance to go to as high as the third place — currently held by Blackwater Elite — following the win. They would look to better their seeding for the next round when they take on Meralco Bolts on July 17, Wednesday.
San Miguel was up by just a solitary point, 83-82, with 3:09 remaining in the game, but McCullough’s split from the foul line plus a three-pointer off a Fajardo kickout from the post widened their lead to five, 87-82, with 1:38 to go.
Fajardo and McCullough would join hands on the defensive side of the floor later on, as they prevented Rain or Shine import Carl Montgomery from converting from point-blank range to get the possession back to the Beermen.
And moments after that, McCullough seemingly rewarded Fajardo for the feed he received moments ago as he found the 6-foot-10 slotman underneath the rim for a two-handed slam, extending their lead to 89-82 with 1:08 left.
That, however, did not mean the beginning of the end for the ever-gutsy Elasto Painters.
Javee Mocon buried a triple with under a minute to go, and Rain or Shine managed to pull off some stops afterwards before Montgomery got sent to the foul line and made his freebies to make it just a two-point game, 87-89, with 10.8 ticks left.
The Elasto Painters managed to stop the Beermen anew as McCullough missed what could have been the dagger, and Beau Belga’s veteran wits came into play as he immediately called for a timeout the moment he caught the loose ball.
Rain or Shine, though, only had four-tenths of a second left to operate, and that wasn’t enough as Belga’s shot off a catch-and-shoot play from an inbound pass went too late. That then sealed the narrow victory for San Miguel.
Terrence Romeo overcame the pain he’s feeling in his dislocated pinky in his left hand and played for the Beermen. The former three-time scoring champion, though, played like he’s not hurt as he finished with 13 points on three triples.
Mocon produced 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and a block to lead the Elasto Painters, who have fallen to 5-6 although they are already assured of a spot in the quarterfinals along with the Magnolia Hotshots.
Montgomery finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks in nearly 37 minutes.
Rain or Shine’s loss spoiled the homecoming of Cagayan de Oro’s very own Rey Nambatac. The sophomore combo guard out of Letran finished with 11 points, four rebounds, and three assists against just one turnover.
The Scores:
San Miguel 89 – McCullough 24, Fajardo 23, Romeo 13, Ross 7, Santos 7, Cabagnot 6, Pessumal 3, Lassiter 3, Nabong 3, Ganuelas-Rosser 0.
Rain or Shine 87 – Mocon 20, Montgomery 18, Nambatac 11, Borboran 9, Daquioag 7, Ponferada 5, Belga 5, Norwood 4, Onwubere 3, Torres 3, Rosales 2.
Quarterscores: 14-18, 47-44, 63-67, 89-87.
