No Alex Cabagnot, no problem for the Petron Blaze Boosters.
The Boosters bucked the absence of their injured starting pointguard to hack out an easy 90-68 win over the San Mig Coffee Mixers last night in Game Three of the 38th PBA Governors’ Cup Best-of-Seven Finals at the Araneta Coliseum.
Seizing control of the game in the second period where they started building 20-point leads to easily regain the series lead, two games to one.
Petron won Game One, 100-84, before San Mig leveled the series with a 100-93 decision in Game Two.
Arwind Santos started the second quarter with a putback that gave the Boosters a 30-20 lead. Petron nursed double-digits since then.
The Boosters ended the first half with a mammoth 25-point lead, 55-30 and the advantage reached as high as 29 points in the third as the Mixers wobbled the rest of the way.
Petron was so dominating that import Elijah Millsap wasn’t fielded in the fourth quarter anymore. The prolific import, who filled the starting pointguard spot vacated by Cabganot, still went on to lead all scorers with 28 markers anchored on six three-pointers.
With his parents watching the game, Cebuano center June Mar Fajardo collared the Best Player of the Game honors with 19 points and nine rebounds.
Marcio Lassiter chipped in 13 points, Santos contributed 10.
It was a total team effort for Petron as even seldom-used Paulo Hunalde had his moments in the fourth where he scored all of his nine points.
Marqus Blakely tallied 17 points for the Coffee Mixers. James Yap was the only other San Mig player to score in twin digits with 10.
BOX SCORES
PETRON (90)- Millsap 28, Fajardo 19, Lassiter 13, Santos 10, Hubalde 9, Miranda 6, Tubid 5, Deutchman 0, Lutz 0, Kramer 0, Isip 0, Ildefonso 0.
SAN MIG COFFEE (68)- Blakely 17, Yap 10, Mallari 9, Devance 9, Barroca 7, Simon 6, Pingris 5, Reavis 3, Alvarez 1, Gaco 1, Ponferrada 0, Acuna 0, Najorda 0, De Ocampo 0. QUARTERSCORES: 28-20, 55-30, 77-52, 90-68.