The San Miguel Beermen took care of the best-of-five series opener against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 111-105.
A massive 39 points outburst unleashed by the Beermen at the end of the third quarter and mounted enough lead for them to strike a 1-0 series lead.
It seems rare right now particularly in this 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup that fans see Christian Standhardinger in his old scoring threat.
Yet, just in time for the semis, the Fil-German showcased once again his basketball skills and reminded everyone why he is the top overall pick of the 2017 PBA Draft.
Standhardinger dropped 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds. He was later named as the Best Player of the Game.
Most of “The Bulldozer” damage came in the second half. When SMB head coach Leo Austria noticed a good game from his forward. Coach Austria left him for the rest of the game probably to regain Standhardinger’s confidence in the game.
Coach Austria kept Jun Mar Fajardo on the bench to have him ready for their Game 2 battle set this coming Monday.
For Rain or Shine on the other hand, probably their main plan is to spread their points to confuse the Beermen’s defense.
It was working in the first half where they piled a double-digit lead of 13 points.
Norbert Torres is one of their gunners in that stretch where he forced Fajardo to leave the paint and defend his long-range offense.
Torres scored 11 points in the first half but he was no longer a threat in the third and fourth period after San Miguel made their adjustments.
James Yap and Ed Daquioag are back after got sidelined due to their respective injuries. Both players had a combined 10 markers but weren’t enough to pull a victory.
Chris Mccullough Locates The Open Christian Standhardinger
San Miguel vs Rain or Shine Game 1 Semi-Finals Box Score
Quarters: 19-27 | 46-52 | 85-83 | 111-105
Beermen (111) – McCullough 32, Standhardinger 20, Ross 19, Cabagnot 12, Romeo 10, Fajardo 9, Santos 9, Tubid 0, Pessumal 0, Rosser 0
Elasto Painters (105) – Montgomery 20, Norwood 16, Torres 13, Mocon 12, Nambatac 12, Belga 7, Ponferada 6, Rosales 5, Yap 5, Daquioag 5, Borboran 4, Alejandro 0