Elijah Millsap scored 41 points, including 11 straight during a stretch in the fourth quarter, to carry the Petron Blaze Boosters to a 91-83 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Monday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The win gave the Boosters a 1-0 lead in their best-of-five Governors’ Cup finals series.
“I think he bailed us out tonight,” said Petron coach Gee Abanilla on Millsap, who added 14 rebounds.
Millsap’s heroics was enough for Petron to pull off the victory, despite just two other local players scoring in double-figures for the Boosters. Alex Cabagnot finished with with 18 points while June Mar Fajardo dominated the paint with 15 points and 17 rebounds.
No one else scored more than four points for the Boosters.
“Next time, we need more contributions from the locals. I think some of the locals must step up the next game,” said Abanilla. Notably, Petron star forward Arwind Santos scored just four points, but had 10 rebounds and four steals.
Abanilla expected a tough outing coming into the game, and it was a slugfest, with both teams shooting below 40 percent for the game.
Petron held a brief double-digit advantage in the second half, but Rain or Shine rallied back in the fourth quarter, grabbing the lead behind Beau Belga and Ryan Arana.
But Millsap came to the rescue for Petron down the stretch for the Boosters’ 10th straight victory in the tournament.
Arizona Reid led Rain or Shine with 28 points and 11 rebounds, but was visibly hobbled in the second half while suffering cramps. He scored just two points in the fourth period.
Abanilla warned against a backlash from the Elasto Painters in Game Two, which is slated on Wednesday at Cuneta Astrodome.
“We can’t afford to lose that edge against them,” said Abanilla. “We have to remember they’re the defending champions. They’re up to a big game.”
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