Game 3 of the 2018 PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals was still a blowout game.
It was a two-point game at the half until Chris Ross drilled in three straight 3-pointers at one stretch that allowed the Beermen to pull away en route to a 1342-94 victory over Barangay Ginebra on Wednesday night, August 1.
Ross, who already buried 4 three-pointers in the first half, finished with 23 points on top of 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals after being scoreless and ejected in Game 2.
"I just stepped out there and shot with confidence. My teammates kept passing me the ball and I was open so I just kept shooting," said Ross, who also suffered a deep cut late in the second quarter after an inadvertent elbow from his teammate Renaldo Balkman.
VIEW: San Miguel 132, Ginebra 94 Game 3 Video Highlights
Balkman had 28 points, 13 in the pivotal third quarter, to go along with 11 rebounds and five assists to help San Miguel take the 2-1 series lead.
June Mar Fajardo added 22 markers and 15 rebounds while Marcio Lassiter, Christian Standhardinger and Arwind Santos came through with big help off the bench, combining for 35 points and 14 boards, as Lassiter had also 9 assists.
"I wasn't expecting this to happen. I think it's kind of weird, first game we got blown out, second game we blew them out, and this is another blowout," San Miguel coach Leo Austria said.
Justin Brownlee led Ginebra with 32 points and 11 rebounds.
Mark Caguioa, the only other player for Ginebra who reached double-figures, had 12 points, 10 in the second quarter.
Ginebra's 38-point defeat was tied for the most lopsided loss in the PBA championship in 20 years until the Beermen caught up. Alaska, who coached by Tim Cone at the time, defeated San Miguel 99-61 in Game 6 of the Philippine Cup Finals in 1998.
"I have nothing to say, other than I am embarrassed by our performance. They’re too good for us," Ginebra coach Cone said.
Game 3 is on Wednesday, 7:00 pm at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
San Miguel 132 - Balkman 28, Ross 23, Fajardo 22, Lassiter 12, Standhardinger 12, Santos 11, Cabagnot 9, Nabong 6, Pessumal 5, Heruela 4, Lanete 0, Ganuelas-Rosser 0, de Ocampo 0, Agovida 0, Vigil 0
Ginebra 94 - Brownlee 32, Caguioa 12, Slaughter 9, Devance 7, Mercado 7, Tenorio 5, Chan 5, Mariano 5, Ferrer 5, Aguilar 4, Thompson 3, Cruz 0, Caperal 0, Manuel 0
Quarter scores: 30-27, 53-51, 92-72, 132-94 | [Game Stats].
