THE now-on a roll San Miguel Beermen go for a spot in the finals of the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup when they reengage with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in Game Three of their best-of-five semifinal series today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Took a commanding 2-0 lead in the series following a 117-105 victory in Game Two on Monday that saw the team fashion out a massive comeback and turnaround, the Beermen use one of the three tries they earned to close out the Elasto Painters, beginning in Game Three set for 7 p.m.

San Miguel went down by as much as 29 points at one point in the second quarter in the last game before channelling the unstoppable when they found their collective groove the rest of the way.

Rain or Shine galloped out in the first quarter, riding a solid 61% shooting (seven-of-13) from beyond the arc to make their way to a 34-13 advantage at the end of the first 12 minutes.

The Elasto Painters continued to pour it on the Beermen to begin the second quarter, stretching their lead to 29 points, 47-19, by the 9:28 mark of the frame.

San Miguel then made its move back after, led by the trio of Christian Standhardinger, Chris Ross and import Chris McCullough.

They would outscore the Elasto Painters, 30-5, the rest of the quarter to be down by just three points, 52-49, at the halftime break.

Seizing the momentum, the Beermen came out shooting in the third period.

San Miguel overtook Rain or Shine, 61-60, after two free throws from Alex Cabagnot at the 7:20 mark before exploding some more on the lead of Messrs. Ross and McCullough.

When the quarter smoke cleared, the Beermen outscored the Elasto Painters, 40-21, to go on top, 89-73, heading into the final quarter.

In the fourth period, San Miguel pretty much cruised throughout.

James Yap drained some baskets to give the Elasto Painters hope but their effect was kept to a bare minimum by the Beermen who stood firm all the way to the end to close out the game.

Mr. Ross paced the Beermen with a career-high 34 points, going 10-of-16 from three-point land, to go along with eight assists.

Mr. McCullough had 22 points, 11 rebounds and six assists while Mr. Cabagnot finished with 17 points and seven dimes.

Mr. Standhardinger had 15 points with June Mar Fajardo adding 14 points and 15 rebounds for San Miguel.

For Rain or Shine it was import Carl Montgomery who led with 24 points, 15 rebounds and six assists.

Rey Nambatac had 15 points with Ed Daquioag and Mr. Yap adding 13 and 12 points, respectively.

“We were missing shots early but we just kept shooting. We’ve been through many situations before and nothing really rattles us,” said Mr. Ross in the postgame interview as he described their mindset and how they went about things amid the struggles they had early on in the contest.

Now on the brink of elimination, while they rued the missed opportunity to level the series in Game Two, Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia said that they are still not losing hope.

Mr. Garcia admitted that they could have handled the San Miguel fight back better but are moving on from it armed with the tough lessons from the game even as he said that they are going to take it one game at a time for the rest of the series.

The Beermen are the reigning Philippine Cup champions and are looking to position themselves for a shot at a second championship this season. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

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