Standhardinger suits up, powers Beermen

On his way to the arena, San Miguel Beer’s Christian Standhardinger got caught in traffic and arrived at the game late.

“I have to say sorry for being late,” he said in an interview. “Traffic in Manila can be sometimes bad.”

For the NLEX Road Warriors, it wasn’t bad enough.

Standhardinger still got to the venue in time to punch in a career-high 36 points and grab 11 rebounds to lead the Beermen to a 125-112 victory over the Road Warriors Saturday in the PBA Governors’ Cup at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Filling in for the injured reigning four-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, Standhardinger hardly looked like a guy who played late Friday night in Jakarta for Team Philippines in the Asian Games, hitting 14 of his 17 shots from the field.

“I have to appreciate Christian despite the fact that he was tired from the Asian Games and he was really playing well there,” said San Miguel head coach Leo Austria. “The Asian Games gave him a lot of exposure and what he did today was similar to what he did there.”

The Beermen peeled away in the third period with a 15-2 run to build a 20-point lead after Standhardinger’s jumper.

AZ Reid, returning as an import for the Beermen, added 30 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists while Alex Cabagnot chipped in 23 points, six boards, and nine assists.

Magnolia notched its second straight win after sinking NorthPort, 104-87, in the other game.

The Hotshots took sole ownership of second place with a 2-0 record behind the league-leading Aces (3-0), while the Batang Pier are still winless after three outings.

After the struggling to shake off the Batang Pier at the start of the fourth, the Hotshots went on a 17-5 run that Mark Barroca capped with a left corner triple that put Magnolia up 94-71 with 5:26 left in the game.

Magnolia.s Paul Lee and NorthPort’s Stanley Pringle, Standhardinger’s teammates in the Asian Games, sat out the match.