Beermen regain top spot, rally past Aces

Chris Ross. PBA IMAGES

Defending champion San Miguel Beer reclaimed the No. 1 spot after coming back to beat Alaska, 109-96, in the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup Saturday night at Batangas City Coliseum.

The Beermen, who leaned heavily on their four star veterans, outscored the Aces, 47-25, since trailing by nine, 62-71, at the 3:10 mark of the third quarter.

Chris Ross topscored with 24 points that went with nine assists and four steals, Marcio Lassiter added 21 points and eight rebounds while Arwind Santos and June Mar Fajardo each posted a double-double to combined for 38 points and 32 rebounds to power SMB.

The big men played vital roles on both ends as Santos finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks while Fajardo had 17 points, 18 rebounds and a block.

San Miguel rose from a 15-point hole in the second quarter and a nine-point deficit late in the third period thanks to a 22-2 run bridging the last two frames.

Still without the injured starting guard Alex Cabagnot, the Beermen found a reliable fifth guy in Matt Ganuelas-Rosser, who came off the bench and came away with 11 points, five rebounds and two steals. His team was +29 with him on the floor.

San Miguel improved to 6-2 with Magnolia breathing down its neck i second place with a 7-3 card. Alaska, which suffered its second straight loss, slipped to third at 6-3.

JVee Casio led the Aces with 20 points and six assists.