MANILA, Philippines – Christian Standhardinger hardly looked like he came from a grueling Asian Games stint as he powered San Miguel to a rousing 125-112 win over NLEX in the 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Araneta Coliseum on Satuday, September 1. 

The Filipino-German rookie, who just arrived from Indonesia earlier in the day, dropped a career-high 36 points to go with 11 rebounds and two steals as the Beermen opened their campaign on a high note even without the injured June Mar Fajardo.

Benched for most of the opening frame, Standhardinger quickly made an impact and scored 24 points in the middle periods as San Miguel swung a 26-28 first-quarter deficit to a 95-79 lead heading into the payoff period. 

He chalked up another 12 points in the fourth quarter to finish with a stellar 14-of-17 shooting clip in a little under 28 minutes of action.

Import AZ Reid finished with a double-double of 30 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists while Alex Cabagnot chipped in 23 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals in the win. 

Aaron Fuller churned out a new career-high of 36 points with 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks but those weren’t enough for the Road Warriors to pull off the win with head coach Yeng Guiao, who also returned from the Asiad, in attendance. 

Michael Miranda and Kenneth Ighalo had 16 points apiece and combined for 13 rebounds for NLEX, which fell to 3-2. 

The Scores 

San Miguel 125 – Standhardinger 36, Reid 30, Cabagnot 23, Lassiter 14, Ross 9, Ganuelas-Rosser 4, Heruela 4, Santos 3, Nabong 2, Mamaril 0, Pessumal 0, Vigil 0.

NLEX 112 – Fuller 36, Ighalo 16, Miranda 16, Galanza 11, Fonacier 5, Tiongson 4, Mallari 4, Paniamogan 4, Quinahan 3, Marcelo 2, Soyud 0, Gotladera 0.

Quarters: 26-28, 62-54, 95-79, 125-112.

– Rappler.com