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San Miguel's Shabazz Muhammad attempts to block a shot, aiming for a victorious bounce back over Rain or Shine.

Shabazz Muhammad, San Miguel, bounce back with win over Rain or Shine


Foiled in his PBA debut, Shabazz Muhammad bounced back with a monster performance of 33 points and 21 rebounds to lift the San Miguel Beermen past the Rain or Shine E-Painters, 104-100, in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The win, San Miguel’s sixth in 10 matches, was a crucial one for the Beermen as it vaulted them back into contention for one of the twice-to-beat incentives in the quarterfinals. San Miguel is now tied with Alaska for fourth place in the standings.

Muhammad was a huge reason for the San Miguel victory as his torrid scoring helped them lead by as many as 19 points. Then, when Rain or Shine threatened and pulled to within two with just seconds to play, Muhammad coolly sank two free-throws to stymie the E-Painters’ rally and secure the victory for the Beermen.

San Miguel head coach Leo Austria is glad his team rose to the occasion.

“They know the situation right now. If you lose, you don’t have a good chance to get into the quarterfinals. With this win, may chance na,” said Austria after the match.

Power forward Vic Manuel gave the team a huge lift off the bench with his 18 points while flash guard Terrence Romeo added 17 points, six assists, and four rebounds. June Mar Fajardo produced 14 points while CJ Perez chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds.

Import Henry Walker paced Rain or Shine with a double-double performance of 23 points and 10 boards. The locals were led by big man Beau Belga who had 19, Rey Nambatac who fired in 17, and Jewel Ponferrada, who had 15.

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