Jay R. Gotera
Saudi Gazette
MANILA — San Miguel Beer superstar June Mar Fajardo had his lowest output in the series—33 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks—but found plenty of support from his teammates as the Beermen routed the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 105-92, in Game 4 of their best-of-seven PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series.
SMB thus tied the series at 2-2 with Game 5 set for Wednesday.
Fajardo came into the game averaging 38 points and 18 rebounds. He could have easily matched or even surpass his average, but the most dominant center in the league had the luxury of just watching his teammates pour on the points from inside and out.
Marcio Lassiter was extra sharp from long range, finishing with 20 points, including a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the three-point arc.
Arwind Santos also dished out his A-game, firing 19 points and hauling down eight rebounds.
Chris Ross added 13 while Alex Cabagnot accounted for 12 markers.
After a tight first half, the Beermen went on a tear in the third quarter, outscoring Rain or Shine by 15 points, 37-22.
The Painters struck back to force a 61-all deadlock. With the scary thought of going down 1-3 in the series uppermost in their minds, the Beermen switched to overdrive, firing off a 23-3 run, breaking the game wide open.
The Beermen ended the third quarter ahead by a whopping 22 points, 90-68.
Rain or Shine tried to climb back from the abyss but could come no closer than 11 points in the fourth quarter as the SMB cruised to victory.
The Painters played minus two key starters—guard Jericho Cruz and center Raymond Almazan.
Rain or Shine also missed Paul Lee in the fourth quarter after the Painters’ top gunner fouled out with only 2.7 seconds left in the third following a blocking foul on Gabby Espinas.
Two rookies—Maverick Ahanmisi and Don Trollano—led Rain or Shine, scoring a team-high 15 points apiece. Jewel Ponferada, another rookie, added 13 points. JR Quinahan and Lee chipped in 12 and 10 markers, respectively.
Game Tuesday: Alaska Aces vs. GlobalPort Batang Pier (Game 5 of best-of-seven semifinals; Alaska leads 3-1).
