Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—San Miguel Beer big man Christian Standhardinger said he had no intention of hurting Phoenix forward Calvin Abueva in the second quarter of Game 2 of their Philippine Cup semifinals Monday night.
Standhardinger got ejected after he was called for a flagrant foul penalty 2 when his foot hit Abueva’s face as the two got tangled up while down on the floor with 6:10 remaining in the first half.
READ: Standhardinger ejected in 2nd quarter of Game 2 vs Phoenix
“He pulled me down and then I fell down and I tried to run away or tried to run back on defense and I accidentally hit him,” Standhardinger told reporters after the Beermen rallied for a 92-82 win at Araneta Coliseum.
“Obviously, I feel sorry for accidentally [hitting him]. That’s the most important thing. But I think he’s fine, he played all game. That’s what happened. Obviously, it was a tough call to go to F2 but you know, that’s how it is.”
The 6-foot-18 Fil-German, who collected 12 points and 16 rebounds in a 100-88 drubbing of Phoenix in Game 1, had two points and four rebounds before the ejection.
SMB head coach Leo Austria said Standhardinger’s early ouster gave his team an extra motivation to win Game 2.
“The team got inspired and I was forced to use June Mar (Fajardo) for longer minutes,” Austria said.
June Mar Fajardo, who was limited to just nine points and nine rebounds before fouling out late in the series opener, bounced back with 19 points and 18 rebounds in Game 2.