By Dugout Philippines
Inspired by the win of 6'11" beanpole Junemar Fajardo as the Best Player of the Conference, the San Miguel Beermen raced to an 88-70 win against the Alaska Aces in Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
However, it was Alex Cabagnot who shone brightly in the wire-to-wire Beermen win that equalized the series at two wins each.
Cabagnot scored 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting in 35 minutes of play to lead San Miguel.
Fajardo had a relatively quiet but still steady outing as he tallied 11 points on a4-of-5 field goal clip and a perfect 3-of-3 free throw clip, 11 rebounds, and a steal in almost 28 minutes.
Calvin Abueva, the other top candidate for the BPC plum, led Alaska with 22 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, and a steal in nearly 28 minutes too. Abueva, however, was the only Ace in double figures as the team struggled offensively.
The Aces only made 37 percent of their field goals featuring a 2-of-13 clip from beyond the arc and making only 18 of 29 free throws.
Game 5 is set for Friday, 7:00 PM, at the same venue.
Box Scores:
San Miguel 88-Cabagnot 22, Tubid 13, Lutz 11, Santos 11, Fajardo 11, Lassiter 10, Kramer 6, Ross 2, Semerad 2, Omolon 0, Pascual 0, Fortuna 0, Chua 0
Alaska 70-Abueva 22, Manuel 9, Exciminiano 8, Hontiveros 6, Baguio 6, Jazul 5, Thoss 4, Banchero 4, Dela Rosa 4, Menk 2, Casio 0, Dela Cruz 0, Eman 0
Quarterscores: 33-16, 49-26, 73-49, 88-70