Beermen fall to Rain or Shine as June Mar hurts knee anew

 

June Mar Fajardo limps back to the Beermen's bench after accidentally stepping on SMB import Tyler Wilkerson. Photo by KC CRUZ, GMA News

The San Miguel Beermen lost June Mar Fajardo due to a knee injury in the first half, handing the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters a 108-105 victory on Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

"We got another big break," said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao after the game.

"June Mar injuring himself or accidentally by a teammate, that's the biggest break for us this game. If [Tyler] Wilkerson playing that way and June Mar is there, the result might have been different."

San Miguel blitzed Rain or Shine in the opening period, erecting a 32-14 lead. Up 13 in the second, June Mar Fajardo accidentally stepped on SMB import Tyler Wilkerson before falling to the floor. The big man left for the hospital in the second half to get an MRI on his right knee.

Rain or Shine import Mo Charlo had 35 points and 13 rebounds, while JR Quiñahan added 15 markers and seven boards. Chris Tiu and Maverick Ahanmisi chipped in 13 each, while Jeff Chan hit 12 points.

San Miguel had a four-point lead heading with 3:13 left in the game, but a five-point swing from Rain or Shine import Mo Charlo gave the Elasto Painters a one-point edge heading into the final two minutes.

A Maverick Ahanmisi basket stretched the lead to three, as the Beermen struggled to respond at the other end. Gabe Norwood's basket with 16 seconds remaining put the game out of reach, as a late exchange of baskets from Marcio Lassiter and Mo Charlo settled the final score.

"Our other big break is we got the import we needed," Guiao said about Mo Charlo. "He's a great defender, gives us a lot of range, he can run with the team in the open court. I think Mo can still get better; he's in game shape and he's just learning toplay with the guys. I think things can look better for us from here on."

Tyler Wilkerson had 33 points and 10 boards to lead San Miguel, while Marcio Lassiter and Alex Cabagnot had 19 each.Chris Ross had 12 points as a starter, while Arwind Santos came off the bench for 10 more points. — APG, GMA News