PBA IMAGES
San Miguel Beer stopped a two-game slide with a 103-96 win over Rain or Shine in the 2017 PBA Governors’ Cup Wednesday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Chris Ross helped the Beermen buck another meager performance by Terik Bridgeman with a conference-high 27 points on 5-of-8 shooting from long range.
“Finally. We really need to win this game because we’re in a slump,” said SMB head coach Leo Austria.
“The team is relieved because we cannot afford to have three straight losses. It’s very crucial for us and I’m happy for the players because they showed their energy.”
Bridgeman, who scored only two points in his PBA debut in a loss to Alaska on Saturday, didn’t have anything to show for the second consecutive game but four points on 2-of-9 shooting from the field, four rebounds and two turnovers in a little over 15 minutes of action.
Fortunately for the Beermen, they have an All-Star local cast with Ross, Marcio Lassiter, Arwind Santos and June Mar Fajardo sharing much of the offensive load.
Lassiter had 22 points, Santos added 18 while Fajardo posted a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds.
J’Nathan Bullock collected 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for the Elasto Painters, whose winning streak ended at three games.
Both the Beermen and the Painters have 4-3 slates.