Beermen near PH Cup crown

The finals has been a stage where San Miguel guard Alex Cabagnot usually comes up with his finest performances.

But with his teammates rising to the challenge the last two games of the PBA Philippine Cup series, Cabagnot willingly took the backseat, waiting for his moment to come.

With Magnolia starting strong, Cabagnot rediscovered his lethal scoring touch to keep the Beermen afloat in the first half, before helping the defending champions weather a late onslaught by the Hotshots for a thrilling 84-80 victoryand a 3-1 series lead at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Cabagnot, the finals Most Valuable Player when San Miguel won last year’s Commissioner’s Cup, finished with 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting, but the Beermen needed one huge defensive stop in the end to preserve the victory and move within a win of collecting a fourth straight All-Filipino title.

“We came out slow in the first half, but good thing Alex (Cabagnot) was scoring and he carried us,” said San Miguel guard Marcio Lassiter, who added 18 points.

June Mar Fajardo had 16 points and 13 rebounds on the night he picked up a record sixth Best Player of the Conference award, while Arwind Santos had 13 for the Beermen.