The Star Hotshots survived Marcio Lassiter’s late explosion to prevail over the San Miguel Beermen, 109-105, in a thrilling Game One of their Oppo PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals showdown on Saturday at SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Star looked on its way to a win after leading 105-92 with just 2:41 left. But Lassiter, who scored all of his 12 points in the deciding period, fired two triples to ignite a 12-0 run as the Beermen cut their deficit to just one point with 41 seconds left.
But Aldrech Ramos responded with a cold-blooded triple to push Star’s lead, 108-104, with 15 seconds left and keep the Beermen at bay.
Import Ricardo Ratliffe tallied 26 points and 21 boards, while Allein Maliksi finished with 26 markers to pace Star which seized a 1-0 lead in the series.
Charles Rhodes led the way for the Beermen with 34 poitns and 10 boards as June Mar Fajardo chipped in 24 points and nine rebounds. Chris Ross also had a magnificent statline of seven points, 10 rebounds, 15 assists and seven steals.
After engaging in a tight battle, the Hotshots pulled away in the fourth quarter, launching a 19-7 run to grab their biggest lead, 94-79, with 6:47 remaining.
Fajardo then scored an and-one, while Lassiter fired two straight triples to fuel a 9-0 Beermen run that pulled them to just within six points.
But Star countered with huge triples from Maliksi and Mark Barroca as Star regained control, 100-88.
Lassiter and the Beermen had one last run up their sleeve, but Star stayed afloat en route to the win.
