MANILA – San Miguel Beermen displayed its offensive firepower to dominate Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 106-89, in Game 2 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals on Sunday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
June Mar Fajardo tallied a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Jaymar Perez also dished out a double-double performance of 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Beermen took a 2-0 edge in the best-of-seven series.
Terrence Romeo delivered 16 points off-the-bench, including three outside shots, while Marcio Lassiter and Celedonio Trollano ended with 13 and 10 points, respectively, for the defending champions.
Holding to a slim 23-21 lead in the opening quarter, the Beermen trailed early in the second frame at 25-28 before surging ahead at 53-45 via connections from Fajardo, Lassiter, and Romeo.
The game was still tight midway through the third quarter with the Beermen clinging to a 73-69 lead before they pulled away for an 88-71 lead behind inside connections by Fajardo.
The Painters attempted to make a last run in the fourth quarter, but the Beermen had their answers from Jericho Cruz and Trollano as the lead reached as high as 19 points at 96-77.
Beermen head coach Jorge Gallent said his players were much quicker on the defensive end in Game 2 and also had good shot selections compared to their tight 101-98 Game 1 win.
“We just get better getting back on defense. The players, I believe, went down very well on defense,” Gallent said in a post-game interview. “We also got good shots, which is our concern in Game 1.”
“I guess we just have to do the same thing come Game 3, sprinting back quickly on defense and having good shots on our end to sustain our winning ways in this series,” he added.
Anton Asistio top-scored for the Painters with 20 points, Adrian Nocum added 19 points and nine rebounds, while Gian Mamuyac, Keith Datu, and Beau Belga contributed 14, 12, and 11 points, respectively./ PN
BOX SCORE:
SAN MIGUEL 106 – Fajardo 22, Perez 19, Romeo 16, Lassiter 13, Trollano 10, Ross 9, Cruz 9, Brondial 4, Tautuaa 4, Enciso 0, Manuel 0, Teng 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 89 – Asistio 20, Nocum 17, Mamuyac 14, Datu 12, Belga 11, Santillan 5, Caracut 4, Clarito 4, Norwood 2, Paredes 0, Ildefonso 0, Belo 0, Borboran 0.
Quarterscores: 23-21, 53-45, 88-71, 106-89.
