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ANTIPOLO — On a night where almost every San Miguel player struggled to buy a basket, Chico Lanete emerged as the lone offensive bright spot for the Beermen on Sunday.
Inserted into the starting lineup for the first time this conference, the 38-year-old guard was the latest Beermen to step up to the plate, drilling four treys to help his crew hack out a hard-fought 77-76 victory over Magnolia.
“I just repaid the trust coach gave me so that I can bring that to our next game,” Lanete, the Zamboanga native, said in Filipino after finishing with 14 points, four rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
Lanete influence in the game in a big way, capping his performance with a clutch triple from the left wing with 1:31 remaining that gave San Miguel a 73-71 lead to hold off Magnolia.
Despite shooting 31 percent from the field, the Beermen were able to pull off the close win to reclaim the No. 1 spot in the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup standings at 6-1.
READ: Beermen regain top spot, halt Hotshots’ run
“Chico is a veteran and we had the right timing to insert him after that timeout,” said SMB coach Leo Austria, who expected nothing less from the 11-year PBA veteran given his wealth of experience.
Lanete, however, said that he’s just trying his best to live up to Austria’s expectations as the Beermen try to stay afloat with their star guard Alex Cabagnot still recovering from plantar fasciitis.
“Alex is really a big help for our team. I’m just making the most of the opportunity given to me,” he said.