BIÑAN CITY, Philippines – San Miguel formalized its entry to the quarterfinals of the 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup after whipping the also-ran Rain or Shine, 109-97, at the Alonte Sports Arena here on Saturday, October 27. 

Three players breached the 20-point mark as the Beermen extended their winning streak to 4 games and became the sixth team to make the playoffs with a 6-4 record just when June Mar Fajardo returned from injury. 

Christian Standhardinger submitted a double-double of 22 points, 18 rebounds and 4 assists to power San Miguel while import Kevin Murphy delivered a team-high 28 points on top of 6 rebounds and 3 assists. 

The Beermen held a slim four-point lead midway through the 3rd quarter, 74-70, before breaking the game wide open behind a 15-4 run to close out the period and enter the final frame with an 89-75 lead. 

Nothing much changed in the 4th quarter with San Miguel’s lead growing to 19 points, 98-79, thanks to back-to-back triples from Murphy and Kelly Nabong. 

Alex Cabagnot came off the bench for the Beermen and fired 24 points and 8 rebounds while Arwind Santos and Marcio Lassiter finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively, and conjoined for 14 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 blocks. 

Fajardo, who returned from a two-month hiatus after recovering from a right shin injury, had a quiet night of 2 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assists in 10 minutes of play. 

Maverick Ahanmisi submitted all-around numbers of 26 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists but that didn’t prevent the Elasto Painters from crashing out of playoff contention after dropping to 2-8. 

Rain or Shine import had 13 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists against 6 turnovers in the losing effort. – Rappler.com