San Miguel flexed its might in the second half on the way to handing Rain or Shine a 111-93 decimation to finally barge into the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup win column on Sunday evening at the Ynares Center II in Montalban, Rizal.
The Beermen took control in the third canto before breaking the game wide open in the deciding chapter. They have notched their first victory of the season after losing to NLEX and Phoenix, respectively, in their first two matches.
“We had to dwell on our last two games,” said head coach Leo Austria. “If you noticed from our last two games, during the first half, we’re leading, we’re playing well defensively and offensively. But come the second half, nagre-relax kami.
“But I attributed it to the fact that we’re not in top shape as compared to the others because they started training two months before the tournament … but in our last three practices we stepped it up to get the energy back,” he added.
(C) PBA Images
CJ Perez led the defending conference champions with a game-high 23 points, alongside six rebounds and four assists, plus a pair of steals.
Marcio Lassiter went 3-of-4 from three and finished with 18 points together with six rebounds, en route to earning Player of the Game honors. Meanwhile, June Mar Fajardo tallied a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds.
The nine-time MVP actually struggled on offense early, having been the focal point of the Elasto Painters’ defense. Still, Lassiter’s vaunted marksmanship enabled SMB to establish a 63-43 lead entering the midway point of the third.
Rain or Shine did manage to cut the gap to just nine entering the final period, but that’s when Fajardo began buckling down to work, never to be denied.
The Cebuano star would go on to score 14 in the quarter, including a rare trifecta to push their lead back to 15 at 84-69 with 9:18 remaining.
Order would be restored as the rest of the Beermen came in to help and add more to the lead. It reached its biggest at 25, 105-80, behind a Rodney Brondial bucket off a Kris Rosales find with 2:51 left to play.
“With this win, it should be a morale booster for us because at 0-2, we cannot afford to lose again,” the champion bench tactician said.
Juami Tiongson added 11 points for San Miguel, who will soon fly to Dubai to face Barangay Ginebra at the Coca-Cola Arena next Sunday, October 26.
(C) PBA Images
Adrian Nocum, meanwhile, led the Elasto Painters with 17 points. Jhonard Clarito and Gian Mamuyac added 16 points apiece, with the former adding nine rebounds, in the loss that also spoiled the debut of Stanley Pringle.
In his first-ever game in a Rain or Shine uniform, the former BPC finished with 11 points, together with a rebound, four assists, and a steal in 22 minutes.
After failing to follow up their comeback win versus Meralco in their conference opener, Coach Yeng Guiao & Co. will look for win no. 2 against Blackwater on Friday, October 24. 5:15 p.m. at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The Scores:
San Miguel 111 – Perez 23, Lassiter 18, Fajardo 17, Tiongson 11, Trollano 8, Calma 8, Tautuaa 6, Brondial 6, Cruz 5, Rosales 3, Miller 2, Teng 2, Mantua 2, Ross 0.
Rain or Shine 93 – Nocum 17, Clarito 16, Mamuyac 16, Pringle 11, Tiongson 9, Caracut 6, Datu 6, Norwood 4, Asistio 4, Santillan 2, Porter 2, Belga 0.
Quarterscores: 22-19, 46-34, 74-65, 111-93.
