Best Player: Calvin Abueva with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists #PBALabanKungLaban #PBASemis” (Photo: PBA/Facebook)
Matthew Wright, who hit the crucial free throws to have an advantage during an 86-86 deadlock in the final quarter, finished with 18 points, despite struggling through foul trouble early on in the game. Teammate Calvin Abueva delivered as well for Phoenix with a double-double at 18 points and 13 rebounds. Justin Chua and RJ Jazul chipped 15 points and 14 points respectively, while JC Intal finished off with eight points, nine rebounds, and four assists. For SMB, it was big man June Mar Fajardo who led the way with 22 points, 19 rebounds, and two blocks, making it a tight game, but his missing 17 free throws jeopardized the close match. Alex Cabagnot helped with 18 points, Terrence Romeo provided 16, while Christian Standhardinger had a double-double at 16 points and 10 rebounds. Beermen’s Marcio Lassiter, who averaged 19 points in the first two games of the series, sat out of game three due to back spasms.
“I told them we could not afford to play a minute of inconsistent basketball. We need to play consistently for 48 minutes and fortunately, until the last second, we were able to execute,” Phoenix head coach Louie Alas shared when it comes to how he motivated his team. “I have to commend them because of their resiliency,” he added.
Player of the Game Abueva also noted, “We didn’t give up. They are a really strong team but we held our fort and we fought to the end.”
Game Four of the Best of Seven series between Phoenix and San Miguel is happening on Tuesday, April 23 at the Cuneta Astrodome.