San Mig fends off Rain or Shine, nears 2nd spot

Ryan Arana vs JC Intal. PBA IMAGES/Nuki Sabio

MANILA, Philippines – San Mig Coffee escaped Rain or Shine 93-92 Sunday night to move closer to a twice-to-beat edge in the 38th PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

PJ Simon topscored with 24 points as the Mixers hiked their win-loss record to 9-3, a win away from clinching the second spot.

“We were able to come up with defensive stops but we didn’t play smart in the end game,” said San Mig head coach Tim Cone. “You’ve got to hand that team a lot of credit. This team stays consistent and that makes them tough.”

San Mig Coffee blew a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter but fortunately its defense held its own in the waning seconds where Rain or Shine had a couple of cracks to steal the game.

Beau Belga misfired on a well-contested shot with 3.3 ticks left.

Seconds earlier, Chan, who wisely drew the foul on Marc Pingris and sank three free throws to make it a one-point game, attacked the basket but got stopped at the last moment as the ball got tapped out of bounds.

Joe Devance created matchup problems en route to 20 points, six rebounds, six assists and three blocks.

Chan led the Elasto Painters, who missed a chance to grab second place, with 21 points.

Rain or Shine, which got off to a poor start, never led and only managed to knot the game twice.

James Yap struggled as he shot just three-of-15 from the field and three-of-seven at the line.

Yancy de Ocampo quietly chipped in with a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds.