Beermen near top six finish, rip Elite

Arwind Santos goes for the slam. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

San Miguel Beer kept rolling after crushing Blackwater, 115-106, to book a ticket to the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.

It was a collective effort by the Beermen, who had seven players finishing in double-digit scoring led by Arwind Santos’ 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field.

“That’s a very important game for us. We knew we can beat Blackwater but I told them this team is very dangerous because of their import Henry Walker,” said SMB head coach Leo Austria.

The Beermen notched their sixth win in seven games and their 6-4 record put them in good position to finish in the top six and avoid a twice-to-win disadvantage in the quarterfinal round.

Coming off a two-week break, San Miguel needed to shake off the rust before finding its groove in the latter part of the second quarter.

The Beermen carried their momentum into the second half, where they dominated the Elite.

Santos also posted a game-high 15 rebounds and scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to help San Miguel build a 24-point buffer, 107-83.

Marcio Lassiter scored 18 points, Kelly Nabong had 13 while Alex Cabagnot and Renaldo Balkman added 12 points apiece. June Mar Fajardo posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Elite started the game strong and even led by 11, 43-32, after a Raymar Jose jumper at the 7:23 mark of the second quarter before the Beermen ended the first half on a 25-6 run.

Walker scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Blackwater, which wrapped up its conference with a 1-10 slate.