MANILA, Philippines – San Miguel flaunted its vaunted depth amid the absence of star big man June Mar Fajardo and thwarted import-less Rain or Shine, 129-116, in the PBA Governors’ Cup at PhilSports Arena on Friday, March 17.

Vic Manuel churned out a conference-high 23 points to lead a balanced attack of five players with at least 20 points as the Beermen ended the elimination round on a high note and improved to 9-2.

Coming off the bench, Mo Tautuaa tied Manuel with 23 points and hauled down 12 rebounds, with the two big men imposing their will over an Elasto Painters side that played without an import for the third straight game.

Manuel already had 15 points at halftime as San Miguel grabbed a 62-56 lead and the rest of the Beermen followed suit in scoring.

Import Cameron Clark survived a foul-plagued game and finished with 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, CJ Perez put up 20 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals, while Marcio Lassiter added another 20 points.

Picking up his fifth foul with five minutes left in the third quarter, Clark needed to sit out the rest of the period as Rain or Shine remained within striking distance and entered the final salvo trailing by just 9 points, 91-100.

But the Beermen opened the fourth frame with a 13-2 run capped by back-to-back Tautuaa buckets for their biggest lead at 113-93 and they never looked back.

Jericho Cruz chimed in 12 points off the bench and Simon Enciso made his presence felt with 11 assists in the win that put San Miguel in a position to end up as the top seed in the quarterfinals.

It will either be a two-way or a three-way logjam for the No. 1 spot depending on the result of the final elimination round game between league-leading TNT (9-1) and Barangay Ginebra (8-2).

Rain or Shine neophyte Gian Mamuyac wrapped up his rookie season in style with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals in the losing effort.

The Elasto Painters played with an all-Filipino lineup in their last three games since import Greg Smith suffered a hamstring injury.

Without reinforcement, Rain or Shine concluded its campaign on a five-game skid and finished at 10th place with a 2-9 record.

The Scores

San Miguel 129 – Manuel 23, Tautuaa 23, Lassiter 20, Clark 20, Perez 20, Cruz 12, Bulanadi 5, Herndon 3, Enciso 2, Faundo 1, Brodnial 0, Canete 0, Ross 0.

Rain or Shine 116 – Mamuyac 23, Borboran 15, Belga 12, Torres 12, Demusis 12, Namabatac 9, Asistio 7, Nieto 7, Ildefonso 7, Nieto 7, Santillan 6, Yap 4, Caracut 2, Clarito 0, Ponferrada 0.

Quarters: 36-23, 62-56, 100-91, 129-116.

– Rappler.com