MANILA, Philippines – The San Miguel Beermen displayed their veteran savvy and championship experience late in the fourth quarter to hold off the Blackwater Elite, 93-83, and move up to 3-1 in the 2015-2016 PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday, November 11, at the PhilSports Arena.
Reigning two-time MVP June Mar Fajardo finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 assists in the win, while veteran guard Alex Cabagnot recorded 15 points, 4 boards, and 4 dimes as San Miguel outscored the pesky Elite 21-13 in the final period.
Marcio Lassiter also played well, scoring 20 points off the bench to go with 9 rebounds and 5 assists, while Arwind Santos finished with 10 points.
Blackwater was led by the 23 points and 8 rebounds of JP Erram, while Mike Cortez finished with 15 points and 3 dimes. Carlo Lastimosa had 14 points off the bench.
The game hung in the balance as San Miguel’s lead was trimmed to 3, 84-81, with 3:50 remaining.
Ronald Tubid hit a big jumper to push his team’s lead to 5 with 3:36 to go, and a few possessions later, Cabagnot hit a huge triple to give his team an 8-point breathing room.
After a Blackwater 24-second violation and bad pass by Raffy Reyes, Cabagnot created more separation between both teams by hitting a jumper with 2:17 to go, 91-81.
After Erram scored with 1:13 to go, Fajardo countered with a basket of his own to seal the contest.
The Beermen shot 48% from the floor and 37% from downtown and also out-rebounded their opponents, 48-30.
San Miguel will be back in action Sunday, November 15, when they take on Barangay Ginebra.
Blackwater, now 1-3, will aim to improve their record on Saturday, November 21, against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
SAN MIGUEL (93) - Fajardo 20, Lassiter 20, Cabagnot 15, Santos 10, Tubid 9, Espinas 8, Reyes 3, Arana 2, De Ocampo 2, Heruela 2, Lutz 2, Ross 0.
BLACKWATER (83) - Erram 23, Cortez 15, Gamalinda 14, Lastimosa 14, Dela Cruz 4, Sena 4, Canada 2, Cervantes 2, Reyes 2, Vosotros 2, Melano 1, Agovida 0, Ballesteros 0.
Quarter scores: 24-19, 44-44, 72-70, 93-83– Rappler.com