Beermen fight back from 24 down to take Game 1 of semis

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San Miguel Beer essayed Thursday night almost the same tale written by Alaska Milk the previous night.

The Beermen gallantly fought back from the depths of 24-point deficits and stunned the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 101-95, in Game One of their PBA Governors Cup Final Four faceoff at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“It’s unbelievable,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria, himself shocked with the feat pulled off by his troops.

“We’re down by 24, and we’re able to catch up, take the lead and win it in the end. Parang yung ginawa nung Alaska (Wednesday night). Merong similarity,” Austria also said.

Similar to what the Aces did in jolting the Star Hotshots, 97-91, Wednesday, the Beermen worked on a wondrous turnaround in the second half on the way to a triumphant start in the best-of-five semis.

READ: Aces rally past ‘kuya’ Hotshots for Game 1 win

The Beermen shifted to zone to start their fightback, catching up late in the third at 77-all and going on to steal the game on big bombs by Marcio Lassiter and AZ Reid at the finish.

Along the way, Junemar Fajardo, Arwind Santos, Alex Cabagnot and Ronald Tubid had their heroics.

Reid (22 points and 13 rebounds), Fajardo (20 markers and 10 boards) and Santos (13 points and 12 rebounds) all posted significant numbers while Lassiter rifled in four three-pointers and finished with 22 markers.

Cabagnot came out of his shell and churned out 15 points, eight assists and five rebounds which drew praises from his coach.

“After a string of so-so games, finally nagpakita na uli si Alex. He just showed his true worth,” said Austria.

Cabagnot highlighted his game with three booming three-pointers in the second half all coming like straight arrows into the heart of the E-Painters.

“Malaking bagay yung kumunekta yung shooters namin dahil mukhang preparadong-preparado yung Rain or Shine sa big men namin. Binugbog nila early on yung big men namin sa perimeter shots nila,” said Austria.

But a shift to zone defense in the second half solved SMB’s woes.

As they made the stops, the Beermen also hit their strides on the offensive end, fuelling their comeback from 24-point deficits at 19-43 and 21-45.

The Beermen got back at the E-Painters harder in the final half, taking the third period at 34-19 and the final canto at 21-16.

Lassiter, Cabagnot and Ronald Tubid knocked in five three-pointers to fuel a big run that pushed San Miguel ahead, 80-79, at the end of the third.

The E-Painters shot almost at will at the start, unloading a mammoth 26-5 salvo in a seven-minute stretch bridging the first two quarters to open their first 24-point margin at 43-19.

Wendell McKines started everything for the E-Painters, scoring the game’s first two baskets on hustle plays.

And curiously he had a near double-double numbers with 14 points and eight rebounds right in the opening frame and had piled up 22 points and 13 rebounds at the half.

Jeff Chan, Chris Tiu and Beau Belga helped give RoS a strong start while Paul Lee, Jireh Ibanes and Raymond Almazan provided instant firepower coming off the bench.

That was before their downfall. (SB)

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TAGS: basketball, pba semifinals, rain or shine elastopainters, san miguel beermen, sports

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