Lassiter finds shooting touch at ‘perfect time’ as SMB avoids sweep

By Randolph B. Leongson

Without an import to rely on, Marcio Lassiter knew he had to break out of his funk if he wants to extend San Miguel’s conference.

And on Thursday, the sharp shooter rekindled his stroke, going 5-of-8 from threes for a series-best 30 points and five rebounds to help the Beermen avoid the sweep with a 104-98 victory over Rain or Shine.

“It came at a perfect time,” said Lassiter as he finally ended his slump. “But for me, I knew those shots in Games 1 and 2, they should have fell. Whether those are bad shots good shots, regardless, every one shot I took, I had that confidence it’s going in.”

With Tyler Wilkerson gone, San Miguel had to entrust the scoring chores to its locals, hoping that the dry spell would soon be over. And the gamble paid off, as the Fil-Am sniper finally snapped his string of off-nights.

“Sometimes, it’s just not your night, and in the last two games, those weren’t my nights. I always say those shots I took, I also took them today. I didn’t change anything,” he said, thanking his teammates for their continued belief during his trying times.

“I just continue like what Chris (Ross) said: Keep shooting the ball with confidence. It’s gonna drop, and I got one and it kept on going.”

Lassiter also said that these kinds of wins further galvanize the tight-knit Beermen, as they try to once again pull themselves out of the rubble and make another memorable fightback.

“We all knew of the situation and we kind of knew that with our backs against the wall, we felt like it has happened before and we had the same kind of experience,” he said. “But we know, when we have the guys in our room, the players who we battle with, we knew we can prevail through a lot of things.”

“Definitely, that’s a testament to our hearts and how we want it more.”

Game 4 is on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum with the Beermen shooting to tie the series at 2-2.

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