Beermen score revenge against Road Warriors; Lassiter gets three-point milestone
San Miguel Beer got back at NLEX with a 119-114 win that boosted its playoff chances in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Beermen brought in a new reinforcement in Sheldon Mac in lieu of Jordan Adams but the locals carried much of the load to record a 4-2 slate in Group B.
They are now tied with Barangay Ginebra at second place, behind the pacesetting Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at 5-1.
CJ Perez led the scoring for SMB with 24 points together with five rebounds while June Mar Fajado added 17 markers and nine boards.
But Marcio Lassiter was the one put on the spotlight as he moved past Allan Caidic to become the No. 2 in the most career three-pointers made after making four triples to have a total of 1,243, seven beams shy of tying Jimmy Alapag for most in the league.
Marcio Lassiter achieves three-point milestone
Lassiter had a total of 17 points in the game and his timely three-point conversions, helped the Beermen come back from an eight-point deficit in the third canto before outplaying the Road Warriors in the final period.
"Coming into the game, my expectation is to win. But thanks to my teammates they kept finding me, and getting to the elite list feels amazing," said Lassiter.
"But the most important thing is to win, and it's a great win for us tonight," he added.
As usual for NLEX, Robert Bolick led the way with 24 points, followed by the improving Mike Miranda with 18, while import Myke Henry, who might be playing his last game as a Road Warrior contributed 17.
The scores:
SAN MIGUEL 119 – Perez 24, Fajardo 17, Lassiter 17, Mac 16, Trollano 16, Romeo 13, Cruz 10, Ross 3, Tautuaa 2, Brondial 1, Rosales 0, Nava 0.
NLEX 114 – Bolick 24, Miranda 18, Henry 17, Valdez 15, Rodger 11, Amer 10, Herndon 9, Policarpio 4, Marcelo 4, Fajardo 2, Nermal 0.
Quarters: 27-23; 57-57; 86-92; 119-114.
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Sedrick Barefield paced Blackwater with 15 points, while Richard Escoto added 14. The Bossing, despite falling short in the finals, had an impressive run in the preliminaries, including a comeback win over NLEX, 95-90, earlier in the tournament.
The championship serves as a timely boost for NLEX heading into the new PBA season. Last year, the Road Warriors finished second in the Philippine Cup eliminations before bowing out in the quarterfinals against Rain or Shine. Deputy mentor Adonis Tierra called the shots in their last two games, steering the team to become the second straight PBA squad to lift the Kadayawan crown, following Rain or Shine’s sweep in 2024. NLEX closed the tournament with a 3-1 card, their lone loss coming at the hands of Blackwater.
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