San Miguel flaunted its depth once more to turn back NLEX, 100-92, for the early lead in the PBA Philippine Cup, Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The Beermen overtook the Road Warriors in the third behind CJ Perez, Marcio Lassiter, Vic Manuel, and Chris Ross on the way to completing the comeback from 12 down for their first 2-0 start since the 2019 Governors’ Cup.
“They scored 53 points in the first half. That’s why I told the team that we had to step up on defense. We know what to do, we know what they’re doing so it was just a matter of application,” said head coach Leo Austria.
Perez led the way with 19 points, 10 of which he made in the second half. He also collected six rebounds and five assists.
Lassiter fired 18 points on a historic night that saw him become just the ninth player to hit 1,000 career three-pointers. He achieved the feat before the first half ended, where he nailed three of his four triples.
Vic Manuel made 14 points, including eight in the third where SMB unloaded a 14-2 assault to turn a seven-point deficit to a 72-67 lead. They would never relinquish their hold of the driver’s seat from then on.
Ross finished with 13 points while Jericho Cruz added 10 markers as he faced his former ball club for the first since leaving them last season.
“Before the start of this conference, we told the boys that we should have a good start in order for us to get a good rhythm. In the previous conferences … in the first few games nanalo kami. In fact in the last conference 0-2 agad kami. But this time, with this win, I think this will add some confidence to the team,” said the multiple-time Coach of the Year awardee.
San Miguel will head into a week-long break before battling Magnolia in a clash of powerhouse teams on Friday, June 17, 6 p.m. at the same venue.
NLEX, meanwhile, was led by the 21 points of Don Trollano in the loss. Calvin Oftana made 16 points, while Justin Chua added 12 markers.
The Road Warriors (1-1) will look to get back on track against TNT in a battle of MVP teams on Thursday, June 16, 5:15 p.m. still in Ynares.
The Scores:
San Miguel 100 – Perez 19, Lassiter 18, Manuel 14, Ross 13, Cruz 10, Fajardo 9, Tautuaa 7, Brondial 6, Enciso 3, Pessumal 1, Herndon 0.
NLEX 92 – Trollano 21, Oftana 16, Chua 12, Alas 10, Quinahan 10, Semerad 6, Rosales 5, Varilla 5, Fonacier 3, Soyud 2, Ighalo 2, Miranda 0.
Quarterscores: 25-33, 50-53, 78-73, 100-92.
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