Lassiter leads San Miguel to 29-point victory over Ginebra

On the brink of elimination, the San Miguel Beermen leaned on Marcio Lassiter to earn a 101-72 victory over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

With the victory, the Beermen extended the series to a winner-take-all Game 5.

"Basta Ginebra you're not sure what will happen. I'm so thankful we evened the series," said SMB head coach Leo Austria. "They know the situation, we've been in this situation in the past. Yung sense of urgency ni Marcio, yun yung nanaig sa kanya e. It's so quiet in the dugout before the game. Kung natalo kami there's no tomorrow."

Lassiter shot 9 of 13 from the field with seven triples. June Mar Fajardo added 17 points and 16 baords while Elijah Milsap, Alex Cabagnot, and Arwind Santos had 13 points apiece. The import also added 17 boards.

After going down by eight in the opening period, 30-22, the Gin Kings struggled in the second, scoring just seven points while allowing 25 points to go up by 26 at the half, 55-29. The Beermen added padded their lead to 30 points heading in to the final frame, 82-52, before cruising to victory.

Justin Brownlee had 29 points to lead Ginebra, while LA Tenorio tallied 17 markers. Japeth Aguilar only scored one points, while Scottie Thompson went scoreless. The two had identical 0 of 6 shooting clips. Mark Caguioa, meanwhile, was 2 of 11 for four points, while Jayjay Helterbrand settled for three markers off a 1 of 5 clip. — DVM, GMA News