Both Kevin Jones and Chris Ross broke out big time as the San Miguel Beermen survived a determined Rain or Shine squad last night, 112-107
SMB import Kevin Jones broke out in his second PBA game, shooting 11/22 from the field and 9/12 from the line to score 33 points in leading the Beermen to their third win of the conference. The former Cleveland Cavalier also hauled down 15 rebounds on top of 2 assists and 2 blocks. It seems he’s now more comfortable in the SMB system, which just means we can probably expect him to continue dropping big numbers as San Miguel fights to stay atop of the standings.
It’s just not Gabe Norwood’s game to be a dominating scorer, but he has to realize that there are times he really needs to wax hot. In this match, the former George Mason University star missed six of his eight field goals and three free throws to finish with 8 markers in 25 minutes of play.
Chrisanity?: Chris Ross looked to score AND make plays for his teammates here, shooting 9/17 from the floor to score 22 points. He hit 3 treys overall while also grabbing 5 rebounds. More importantly, though, he also did really well in other departments, handing out 10 assists and netting 5 steals. Simply put, Chris Ross was at his very best, and, should he be consistent with this kind of production, then the Beermen should go a long way.
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| Chris Ross had an awesome game against the Painters. |
Game Recap:
SAN MIGUEL BEER over RAIN OR SHINE, 112-107
The San Miguel Beermen squandered a 16-point third quarter lead but made the big plays down the stretch as they escaped Rain or Shine, 112-107, to bounce back from their first loss in the PLDT Home TVolution PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Import Kevin Jones finished with a game-high 33 points but it was point guard Chris Ross that shone brightest, scoring a career-high 22 points alongside 10 assists, five rebounds and five steals as San Miguel improved to 3-1 for the tournament.
Ross scored eight points in the crucial fourth quarter and even showcased some nice outside shooting in the first half.
Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos each added 19 points for San Miguel while June Mar Fajardo finished with 11.
The Beermen led by as much as 16 points, 78-62, in the third quarter after Jones knocked down a three-pointer that capped a 22-8 San Miguel run that turned a two-point game into what was looking like a blowout.
But Rain or Shine import Alex McLean led the Elasto Painters’ charge as they outscored the Beermen, 15-6, over the last few minutes of the third. The Rain or Shine reinforcement scored seven points in the last 4:06 of the period as they cut the deficit down to just six, 88-82.
In the fourth, Fajardo and Ross restored the San Miguel lead to double-digits before Rain or Shine unleashed a 19-6 run, the last five points from McLean, to erase the lead and go up three, 101-98, with a little over four minutes to play.
But Ross scored on a quick counter to bring San Miguel to within one, 101-100, and after a long stretch with neither team’s defense budging, Ross picked off a cross-court pass and took it all the way to the hoop to give the Beermen a 102-101 edge.
Rain or Shine made a final stand with McLean connecting on a jumper and Norwood getting a steal that he turned into a trip to the line on the other end. Norwood, though, could only come away with a split to make it 104-102 for the Elasto Painters with 1:43 remaining.
But Santos knocked down a cold-blooded triple and Ross made a strong drive to the hoop to make it 107-104.
Santos and Doug Kramer then hit two free throws each to make it an 8-0 run that all but dashed Rain or Shine’s hopes as San Miguel went up 111-104 with just 15 seconds left on the clock.
Jones, who enjoyed his first win in a Beermen uniform, carried the team early, scoring 15 points in the first quarter.
McLean led Rain or Shine with 33 points while Paul Lee had 13 and Beau Belga scored 12.
The Elasto Painters fell to 1-2 in the Commissioner’s Cup.
SMB 112 – Jones 33, Ross 22, Lassiter 19, Santos 19, Fajardo 11, Tubid 3, Duncil 3, Kramer 2, Lutz 0, Hubalde 0, Maierhofer 0.
ROS 107 – McLean 33, Belga 12, Lee 13, Almazan 8, Tiu 8, Norwood 8, Arana 8, Chan 9, Rodriguez 4, Uyloan 2, Teng 2, Cruz 0.
QS: 27-26, 56-51, 88-82, 112-107.
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| Alex McLean's 33 points were all in vain. |
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| Kevin Jones had a great offensive game to lead the Beermen to their third win in four games. |
Recap by Rey Joble/InterAKTV.
Images by Paul Ryan Tan and Pranz Kaeno Billones/Sports 5.
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