Alex Cabagnot fired 28 points while Charles Rhodes had a monster 20-20 outing to carry the San Miguel Beermen to a 109-97 Game Three victory over TNT KaTropa for a 2-1 lead in the Oppo PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals Sunday at SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Cabagnot, the leading BPC candidate, also had nine boards and six assists while Rhodes tallied 25 points and 20 rebounds to lift the Beermen who won back-to-back games in the series.
Chris Ross added 17 points to go along with three rebounds, five dimes and four steals as Marcio Lassiter had his best game of the series, scoring 16 points and seven assists.
June Mar Fajardo only had six poins and five boards, but the reigning three-time MVP’s low numbers didn’t matter as the Beermen took care of business in the last two quarters after a chippy first half that saw Chris Ross and Ryan Reyes figure in an altercation.
During the closely fought second quarter, Ross was slapped with a flagrant one for tripping Reyes. They confronted each other right after the play but were pacified by officials.
The action however spilled off the court at the break, as a commotion erupted while both teams were heading to the dugout.
It was San Miguel, however, which came out hungrier in the second half. The Beermen opened the third period with a 6-0 run to capture a 52-47 edge as they stepped on the gas for the remainder of the game.
San Miguel had an answer to every TNT rally attempt and stifled KaTropa’s offense with several interceptions that accounted for the majority of TNT’s 23 turnovers.
TNT superstar playmaker Jayson Castro, for one, struggled to execute plays for his team, committing 10 turnovers. But he still scored 17 points.
RR Garcia scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half to top-score for KaTropa. Hulking import Joshua Smith had 18 points and 14 boards.
