SMB dominates Ginebra on Lassiter’s historic night
The San Miguel Beermen never looked back after their fiery start to contain their lead until the very end against the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, 131-82, on Sunday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
In the first quarter of play, Marcio Lassiter already made history by draining four triples that made him the all-time league leader in three-pointers made by tallying his 1,252nd career three. He surpassed Jimmy Alapag’s record of 1,250 when the Beermen raced to an early 37-13.
Lassiter finished with 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting from downtown to be awarded as the Best Player of the game and tallied a new three-point record of 1,254. The game ball used in the historic feat was awarded by Commissioner Willie Marcial during halftime. Lassiter was joined on center stage by his wife and five children.
SMB also made history as they recorded a franchise-high 49-point lead at the end of the game. The dominating win also gave them the ticket to the quarterfinals as they already reached six wins.
Eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo made another monstrous double-double performance to back up Lassiter. JMF scored 24 points, including a triple in the first quarter, and grabbed 17 rebounds.
CJ Perez added 22 markers, while Terrence Romeo, import Jordan Adams, and Don Trollano combined for 37 points in helping the team deal Barangay Ginebra its biggest losing margin in franchise history.
Rookie RJ Abbarientos led Ginebra in scoring with 19 points, and Justin Brownlee helped by producing 16 quiet points, 11 rebounds, and six assists.
The Gin Kings now have a 5-3 record, and their four-game win streak has come to an end already in a game where coach Tim Cone suffered his biggest losing margin as a PBA coach.
Ginebra’s next assignment will be Phoenix on September 18 at 7:30 PM at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, while the Beermen will face the Elasto Painters on September 19 at the same time at the same venue.
The scores:
SAN MIGUEL (131) -- Fajardo 24, Perez 22, Lassiter 18, Romeo 14, Adams 12, Trollano 11, Cruz 6, Jimenez 6, Manuel 6, Brondial 4, Ross 3, Rosales 3, Nava 2.
GINEBRA (82) -- Abarrientos 19, Brownlee 16, J.Aguilar 15, Thompson 13, Garcia 5, Pessumal 4, Mariano 4, Holt 3, R.Aguilar 2, Ahanmisi 1, Pinto 0, Adamos 0, Tenorio 0, Cu 0.
Quarter scores: 37-13; 66-31; 98-58; 131-82.
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The former UP Fighting Maroons' point guard arrived in South Korea yesterday, January 9.
In Instagram stories, the Suwon KT Sonicboom team picked him up in Incheon International airport, and it was the team's way of welcoming the UP pride who entered South Korea.
And now, Cagulangan is set for his Korean Basketball League debut this Saturday, January 11, as Sonicboom faces Gutang and the Seoul Samsung Thunder. He also looks to make a mark in South Korea and continue his basketball journey on the international stage.
Cagulangan will be joining other Filipino talents in KBL, including Carl Tamayo, Justin Gutang, Migs Oczon, and SJ Belangel.
He led the UP Fighting Maroons to the UAAP Season 87 men's basketball title and also ended his UP career as UAAP season 87 Most Valuable Player (MVP).
In his final game with the Maroons, he registered 12 points, two rebounds, four assists, and three steals, leaving a lasting impression as one of the league's most reliable floor generals.
Cagulangan’s performance in the UAAP Finals was nothing short of stellar, recording averages of 13.67 points, 4.33 rebounds, 4.67 assists, 1.33 steals, and 0.67 blocks in the championship series.
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters extended their win streak at the expense of Blackwater Bossing, 122-106, in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup at the Philsports Arena in Pasig on Wednesday, January 8.
With the efforts of import Deon Thompson, Adrian Nocum, and Santi Santillan, the Elasto Painters ensured that Blackwater would not repeat the same scenario where George King and the Bossing wiped them out during last year’s Governor’s Cup.
Nocum's consistency paid off as he poured IN 22 points, pulled down five rebounds, and three steals to help the Elasto Painters some sense of revenge on their tormentors from the previous conference.
“For me, I just stick to whatever my coaches tell me regarding our game plan. Even coach [Yeng Guiao] said that we played well in that game but our opponents just played a lot better,” said Nocum during the postgame interview.
“Every approach I have is the same [from then ’til now]. I just stick to my coaches’ plans,” he added.
Rain or Shine jumped off to a 39-16 lead, faltered in the second frame, and then picked up steam in the second half where Nocum had a field day, highlighted by an acrobatic layup in the fourth quarter.
Thompson churned out 25 points for the Elasto Painters on top of 16 boards, four dimes, and a rejection, while Santillan registered 20.
Anton Asistio had a total of 18 points after helping the team create an early lead in the first quarter with a nine-point performance.
Rain or Shine’s record improved to 5-1, and they will aim to build on this win when they face the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Saturday, January 11.
The Scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 122 – Thompson 25, Nocum 22, Santillan 20, Asistio 18, Tiongson 11, Clarito 9, Demusis 8, Caracut 6, Ildefonso 1, Belga 0, Norwood 0, Lemetti 0, Escandor 0
BLACKWATER 106 – King 35, Ayonayon 11, David 10, Chua 10, Escoto 9, Ponferrada 6, Suerte 6, Kwekuteye 5, Jopia 5, Hill 4, Casio 3, Corteza 2, Guinto 0
Quarter Scores: 39-25, 56-47, 94-79, 122-106
The Hiroshima Dragonflies dominated San Miguel Beermen, 94-63, to earn a Final Four ticket on Wednesday night, January 8, at the Hiroshima Sun Plaza, Japan.
Hiroshima's win also eliminated the winless SMB (0-4) out of contention in the next round.
The Dragonflies were led by the almost triple-double performance of Kerry Blackshear Jr. who produced 12 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists, and three steals.
Nick Mayo and Keijiro Mitani both put up 18 markers to lead the Japanese team in scoring. Mayo also grabbed eight rebounds and issued two dimes, while Mitani stole the ball thrice.
On the other hand, San Miguel import Torren Jones paced the team with 24 points and 13 rebounds, while June Mar Fajardo added 12 markers and nine boards.
EASL Final Four 2025, set for March 7-9, will award a $1 million prize to the champion, $500,000 to the runner-up, and $250,000 for third place.
The scores:
HIROSHIMA 94 – Mayo 18, Mitani 18, Blackshear 12, Nakamura 11, Yamazaki 11, Watanabe 9, Kawata 7, Roberts 5, Ichikawa 3, Kamisawa 0, Takeuchi 0.
SAN MIGUEL 63 – Jones 24, Fajardo 12, Tiongson 9, Lassiter 4, Tautuaa 4, Ross 3, Perez 3, Teng 2, Cruz 2, Cahilig 0.
Quarter Scores: 30-18; 52-37; 68-51; 94-63.