PBA: San Miguel finally gets on board as Perez, Lassiter lead way vs. Rain or Shine

San Miguel made sure not to go 0-3 in its title defense, finally breaking through in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup with a 111-93 masterclass against Rain or Shine on Sunday at the Ynares Montalban in Rizal.

Veterans showed the way in the 18-point victory with CJ Perez going off with a team-high 23 points laced with six rebounds, four assists, and two steals as the Beermen made up for their bad start that saw them bow to NLEX and Phoenix. 

Marcio Lassiter also flashed his vintage form with three triples to finish with 18 points and six rebounds while reigning nine-time MVP June Mar Fajardo poured 17 markers, 14 boards, four assists, and two steals. 

The San Miguel's maiden win spoiled the Rain or Shine debut of Stanley Pringle, who saw 22 minutes on the floor and tallied 11 points, four assists, one steal, and one rebound. 

It was basically all San Miguel throughout the game with Perez and Juami Tiongson leading their first-half surge, which saw the reigning champions erect a 46-34 cushion. 

The debuting Pringle would then knock down a three-pointer to pull the Elasto Painters to 10 late in the third period before he sank a pair of freebies to cut it to a single digit before the fourth, 65-74. 

But Fajardo took charge in the endgame, dropping 14 of his overall output in the fourth frame, including a three-point play against Beau Belga to send San Miguel to a 100-80 cushion in the final 3:42. 

Adrian Nocum paced Rain or Shine pouring 17 points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal while Jhonard Clarito chipped i 16 markers, nine boards, and twi dimes. 

Still, those were not enough as Rain or Shine slipped to a 1-1 card following a 96-95 overtime escape against Meralco last Saturday in the same venue. 

Scores:

San Miguel 111 – Perez 23, Lassiter 18, Fajardo 17, Tiongson 11, Trollano 8, Calma 8, Tautuaa 6, Brondial 6, Cruz 5, Rosales 3, Miller 2, Teng 2, Mantua 2, Ross 0.

Rain or Shine 93 – Nocum 17, Clarito 16, Mamuyac 16, Pringle 11, Tiongson 9, Caracut 6, Datu 6, Norwood 4, Asistio 4, Santillan 2, Porter 2, Belga 0.

Quarters: 22-19, 46-34, 74-65, 111-93.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News