Grieving wingman scores 13 in the fourth to lead Petron over upset-seeking Barako Bull
Games today:
Mall of Asia Arena
5:45 p.m.- Rain or Shine vs. GlobalPort
8:00 p.m.- Barangay Ginebra vs. Alaska
The Barako Bull Energy Colas were poised to pull off a big upset until Marcio Lassiter caught fire to power the Petron Blaze Boosters to a come-from-behind 101-88 win last night at the start of their best-of-three quarterfinal series of the 39th PBA Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Lassiter just arrived yesterday morning after attending the wake of his grandmother in the US but showed no ill-effects of the long trip as he scored 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, pulling the third-seeded Boosters a game away from advancing to the semifinal round.
Lassiter fired three triples in a back-breaking run in the fourth that saw the Boosters take control of the game.
Petron went on to outscore the sixth-ranked Barako Bull in the fourth, 34-15.
Barako Bull was firing from all cylinders early on and led by as many as 12 points in the third period.
Petron cut its deficit to 42-49 at the break but Barako Bull, behind Mick Pennisi and Rico Maierhofer, restored a double-digit spread, 55-44.
Cebuano June Mar Fajardo and veteran playmaker Alex Cabagnot then took over for Petron with the duo powering the Boosters to a 65-63 lead.Barako Bull regrouped, ending the third with a 6-0 run to retake the upper-hand, 73-67.
Lassiter went on to do his part, detonating two three-point bombs in a back-breaking 17-0 run as Petron broke the game wide open by posting an 88-78 lead.
Cabagnot and Arwind Santos tied Lassiter’s output, while Fajardo, Chris Lutz and Chris Ross added 15, 14 and 10 markers, respectively.
Willie Miller and Ronjay Buenafe paced the Energy Colas with 17 points each, while JC Intal pitched in 15.
BOX SCORES
PETRON (101)- Lassiter 17, Cabagnot 17, Santos 17, Fajardo 15, Lutz 14, Ross 10, Tubid 6, Lanete 4, Taha 1, Duncil 0, Kramer 0.
BARAKO (88)- Miller 17, Buenafe 17, Intal 15, Pena 9, Miranda 9, Wilson 8, Jensen 5, Maierhofer 3, Pennisi 3, Macapagal 2, Lastimosa 0, Marcelo 0. QUARTERSCORES: 20-22, 42-49, 67-73, 101-88.
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