ALMOST two years after, Felix Pangilinan-Lemetti finally got revenge on San Miguel at the very same venue where he had one of his best games in the PBA.
The sophomore guard helped steady the Rain or Shine ship in the endgame of a 116-112 win over the Beermen in their Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup showdown on Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
READ: Nocum douses SMB comeback as Rain or Shine wins fifth in a row
Pangilinan-Lemetti was part of the Elasto Painters’ mop-up crew that went on an 8-0 run in crunch time and kept the rallying reigning Philippine Cup champions at bay.
He finished with 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists to help RoS keep its immaculate record and exorcise the ghost of the past in the same playing venue where SMB dealt Lemetti and Co. a 113-112 heartbreaker during last season’s Governors' Cup behind June Mar Fajardo’s buzzer-beating game-winner.
Lemetti gave a sheepish smile when reminded about that loss in September 2024 where he finished with a team-high 28 points, including four free throws in the final three seconds that put his side on top, 112-111.
“That was my first game playing them (Beermen),” he said of that thrilling game. “And I’m happy it’s a different result this time.”
That loss in 2024 likewise snapped the Elasto Painters' 4-0 start - one now surpassed by its 5-0 record that stands as the best-ever beginning in franchise history.
Red-hot RoS
More than a year since he was selected by RoS as eighth overall pick in the Season 49 Draft, Pangilinan-Lemetti believes their team has turned into a unit capable of giving the league’s top contenders a run for their money.
“Us playing together with more confidence per conference, we’re jelling better,” he said, “Our import Jaylen [Johnson] is fitting very well with us. So I think we’re getting better and better, just taking it day by day.”
Pangilinan-Lemetti is averaging 13.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists this conference.
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