The 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup went to Cagayan de Oro on Saturday and gave fans a treat, bringing the San Miguel Beermen and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters over for a crucial match with top four seeding implications. After a furious 48 minutes at the Cagayan de Oro Convention Center, the Beermen ultimately came out on top, 120-111, to secure their seventh victory as against two defeats.
San Miguel looked headed for an easy victory down south, erecting a 25-point edge in the first half as it flexed its nearly peerless depth and talent. The Beermen were still firmly in control after three quarters, holding a 93-78 edge going to the fourth thanks to the efforts of CJay Perez, Don Trollano, June Mar Fajardo, and Marcio Lassiter, who returned after a bout with sore eyes.
Rain or Shine Gives San Miguel a Scare
The Elasto Painters, themselves fighting for that coveted twice-to-bead advantage, didn’t go down without a fight though. Led by Andrei Caracut, Adrian Nocum, and Jhonard Clarito, Rain or Shine began chipping away at San Miguel’s lead and got as close as 103-102 after a drive by Nocum.
But the Beermen recovered just in time and made just enough plays to hold off the Elasto Painters, who dropped to 6-4 with the loss. That means Yeng Guiao’s wards will need to win its final game—versus Barangay Ginebra San Miguel—to have a chance at a top four finish. Leo Austria’s squad, meanwhile, will need to win just one of their last two games to get that twice-to-beat edge.
Perez led all scorers with 33 points on top of 8 rebounds and 7 assists, while Trollano fired 24 markers to go along with 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Fajardo, meanwhile, chipped in 20 points and 9 boards and Lassiter added 16 on a pair of triples. On the other side, Caracut paced Rain or Shine with 24, followed by Nocum’s 22 and Clarito’s 17.
The scores:
San Miguel (120) – Perez 33, Trollano 24, Fajardo 20, Lassiter 16, Tiongson 8, Cruz 6, Brondial 4, Ross 4, Cahilig 3, Tautuaa 2
Rain or Shine (111) – Caracut 24, Nocum 22, Clarito 17, Datu 12, Santillan 10, Mamuyac 9, Tiongson 7, Porter 5, Asistio 5, Norwood 0
Up Next:
San Miguel vs. Converge FiberXers on June 11 (Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
Rain or Shine vs. Ginebra on June 15 (Ynares Center – Antipolo)
2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup Continues
The 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup continues on Sunday with a no-bearing battle-for-pride matchup and a crucial tiff with top four implications. In the first game, the Blackwater Bossing and Terrafirma Dyip—the two teams at the cellar—will battle for pride and a second win. In the second game, rivals TNT Tropang 5G and Ginebra meet for the first time after their epic seven-game Finals in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
