#PBA2016 Philippine Cup Semifinals Roundup: January 9, 2016

For the second straight game, Rain or Shine took their chances letting June Mar Fajardo run wild in the 2015-2016 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals, and, for the second straight game, the Painters came up with the big W. ROS withstood injuries to two of their key players and outlasted the Beermen to get a 2-1 series lead.

Jericho Cruz had a great game before crumpling on the floor due to his injury.
(image from the PBA/Inquirer)

Game Capsules (adapted from Interaksyon): 

RAIN OR SHINE ELASTO-PAINTERS over SAN MIGUEL BEERMEN, 111-106
Box Scores. 

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters weathered another giant-sized performance from PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo as they pulled ahead of defending champion San Miguel in their SMART BRO PBA Philippine Cup after a hard-fought 111-106 Game 3 victory on Saturday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Beau Belga is the Best Player of the Game with 14pts and 14rebs. 010916 @smbeermen vs @bayanngros at Araneta Coliseum #2016pbaphilippinecup #2016pbaphilippinecupsemis #pba41stseason amdg

A photo posted by Philippine Basketball Asscn (@pbaconnect) on Jan 9, 2016 at 5:56am PST

Unlike the first two games of the series, there were no 20-point leads in this one as the two teams engaged in a tight dogfight for much of the game. That was just fine for Rain or Shine, though, which made the big plays down the stretch to take a 2-1 lead.

Fajardo dominated yet again, posting 40 points and 20 rebounds in Game 3, but it was not enough for a second consecutive game.

Paul Lee, in just his third game back from injury, led Rain or Shine’s balanced attack with 18 points on 5-for-12 shooting from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 clip from the line, while Beau Belga had a double-double of 14 points and 14 boards.

Extra Rice vs Kraken! #PBASemis #RainOrShine #SanMiguelBeermen #JunemarFajardo #BeauBelga #Artwork pic.twitter.com/8FyOGCDbUi

— HaeL Pinat (@HaeLGRfX) January 2, 2016

Gabe Norwood and Jeff Chan added 13 points apiece, while Jewel Ponferada and Chris Tiu each had 12. Rookie Maverick Ahanmisi also finished in double-figures with 10 points.

San Miguel’s Marcio Lassiter provided a steady presence from the perimeter for Fajardo, scoring 22 points built around six three-pointers on a 67% shooting clip.

THREES GALORE!:


The game ended on a somber note, though, Cruz was stretched off the floor after being on the receiving end of a hard body check from Lassiter while going after a rebound. A flagrant foul was called on the play and Tiu came in to make both in Cruz’s place.

Tiu sealed the win with two more free throws after Rain or Shine retained possession, putting the score at 111-106 with 3.9 seconds left.

The injury scare to Cruz could be a costly one for Rain or Shine, which already missed the services of athletic big man Raymond Almazan, who suffered an injury prior to the game. 

Lines of the Game: 
Beau Belga (ROS) - 14pts, 14rebs, 1blk, 2 triples, 5/10 FGs
June Mar Fajardo (SMB) - 40pts, 20rebs, 3blks, 17/26 FGs

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