Lassiter strikes early as Beermen turn back Road Warriors

Marcio Lassiter drained 6 three-pointers in the opening quarter which set the tone of the match as San Miguel cruised to a 124-116 victory over NLEX, Sunday in the elimination round of the PBA Season 47 Commissioner’s Cup at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The 35-year old Fil-Am scored a total of 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field including 6-of-7 from beyond the arc in addition to 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and a block in 34 minutes of play as the Beermen picked up their 2nd win in 5 starts. The Road Warriors, on the other hand, absorbed their 3rd defeat in 6 outings.

“Just being aggressive,” said Lassiter during the post-game press conference with the winning coach and best player. “Every night, I’m just trying to come in, look for my shots. Thankfully my teammates are always passing the ball really well, coaches design great plays.”

SMB import Devon Scott, who played his second game after replacing Diamond Stone, finished with team-highs of 26 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists to go with 2 steals in almost 45 minutes of action.

“It’s a matter of mindset for the players. I kept on telling them that we have to fight. There’s no more June Mar so we cannot dwell on him and that’s what happened,” said SMB head coach Leo Austria.

“I think because of the import, ‘yung sipag niya, he keeps on running up and down. So it’s enough to motivate the players. I’m happy for the win. It’s a must-win for us,” he added.

Vic Manuel contributed 22 points in 23 minutes while CJ Perez, Jericho Cruz and Mo Tautuaa added 16, 15 and 14 markers, respectively.

The Beermen will go for their 3rd win when they take on the NorthPort Batang Pier on Wednesday, October 26, 5:45pm at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

The scores:

San Miguel 124 – Scott 26, Lassiter 22, Manuel 22, Perez 16, Cruz 15, Tautuaa 14, Herndon 6, Ross 3, Enciso 0, Brondial 0.

NLEX 116 – Clark 40, Chua 23, Trollano 21, Nieto 12, Alas 10, Fonacier 3, Miranda 3, Varilla 2, Ganuelas-Rosser 2, Rosales 0.

Quarterscores: 43-35, 66-57, 95-90, 124-116.