PBA: San Miguel Beermen thwart Rain or Shine comeback try

Despite wasting a 16-point lead in the third, the San Miguel Beermen disposed of the feisty Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the 2014 PBA Commissioner's Cup, 112-107, on Wednesday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

San Miguel (3-1) moved to solo second place while Rain or Shine (1-2) slides to seventh place and ties Ginebra.

Chris Ross, known as a pass-first point guard, posted a career-high 22 points, along with 10 assists, five rebounds and five steals. Ross shot 9-of-17 from the field, including 3-of-6 from the three-point line.

Kevin Jones scored 33 points and 15 rebounds. Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos each posted 19 points, while June Mar Fajardo had 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four blocks.

"We expect that from Chris Ross every time, that's why he's the captain of our team," said assistant coach Todd Purves. "I wouldn't say I expected a great shooting night,but I expected consistency especially on the defensive end."

"The degree to which you feel good about the win is relative to the quality of your opponent," said Purves, saying there was a measure of satisfaction in beating the team that booted them from the recent Philippine Cup semifinals in five games.

Rain or Shine battled back in the fourth and snagged a two-point lead late, 101-98 on an Alex McLean trey. But Ross took control of the situation and guided his team to the win.

Purves said he expected Rain or Shine to be a tough opponent until the final buzzer, regardless of the cushion they enjoyed in the second half. "We led in the fourth quarter a number of times in the playoffs, but they're so well-coached and so resilient. If I didn't expect them to fight back I'd be a fool," he said.

Sol Mercado did not suit up tonight due to a groin injury. According to Purves, whether Mercado will play soon will be a game-time decision, but said that a safe estimate would be a week until he returns to action.

A strong start from Arwind Santos and Kevin Jones gave the Beermen an 11-3 lead to start the game. Despite giving up several baskets off turnovers, Raymond Almazan and Alex McLean filled the lanes to jumpstart Rain or Shine, and Jeff Chan added a trey to make it a 16-13 game halfway through the frame. Paul Lee came off the bench to score seven of his team's last 13 points, but they couldn't overcome Jones in isolation as San Miguel maintained a 27-26 lead at the end of the first.

Both teams denied each other inside points in the second quarter, and battled almost exclusively from the perimeter. Between those long jumpers, both teams shot a combined 9-of-16 from the three-point line and were neck-and-neck, until Marcio Lassiter scored five straight in the last minute to earn some breathing room at halftime, 56-51.

After the break, the Beermen reestablished their control in the paint. Within three minutes, the Elasto Painters were in foul trouble and seldom attempted shots within 15 feet of the hoop. Santos, Jones and June Mar Fajardo feasted near the basket, combining for 14 early in the quarter to rip open a 78-62 lead.

McLean refused to let the Elasto Painters quit, and took advantage of mismatches to will his team back into the game. The import spat out nine points during a 20-8 rally to close the quarter, and trimming the lead to single digits heading into the fourth, 88-82.

Rain or Shine's momentum carried over to the fourth, where Ryan Arana's slashing game fueled a 19-6 run, capped by a McLean trey, to seize a 101-98 lead with four minutes to play. After missing a series of gimmes down low, Chris Ross broke loose on the break to steal a 102-101 edge with two minutes to play.

A Santos trey offset makes by McLean and Norwood, 105-104, and the Beermen were in a position to increase the lead with under a minute remaining. Ross answered converted a layup off a pick and roll, and San Miguel forced their second stop in a row. Rain or Shine fouled Santos with 22 seconds left, who converted from the stripe to put the game out of reach.

Both teams shot the ball well tonight, as the Beermen went 38-of-79 (48.1 percent) from the field and 15-of-29 (51.7 percent) from three-point range. Rain or Shine had similar stats, going 38-of-82 (46.3 percent) from the field and 15-of-34 (44.1 percent) from the arc.

San Miguel led in free throw attempts, making 21-of-32 (65.6 percent) against Rain or Shine's 16-of-22 (72.2 percent).

Alex McLean led the Elasto Painters with 33 points and 14 rebounds. Paul Lee and Beau Belga posted 13 and 12 points, respectively, and combined for 14 rebounds and seven assists. —AMD, GMA News


The scores:

SAN MIGUEL BEER 112 - Jones 33, Ross 22, Lassiter 19, Santos 19, Fajardo 11, Duncil 3 Tubid 3, Kramer 2, Maierhofer 0, Hubalde 0, Lutz 0

RAIN OR SHINE 107 - McLean 33, Lee 13, Belga 12, Chan 9, Arana 8, Almazan 8, Tiu 8, Norwood 8, Rodriguez 4, Uyloan 2, Teng 2, Cruz 0, Tang 0

Quarter scoring: 27-26, 56-51, 88-82, 112-107