PBA: San Miguel Beer seals semis spot, ousts Rain or Shine
San Miguel Beer import Bennie Boatwright Jr. gestures after making a 3-pointer against Rain or Shine in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines–San Miguel relied on a cutthroat third quarter and then held on until the final horn on Friday night to hack out a 127-122 over Rain or Shine to secure a spot in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals.
The Beermen used their depth in that frame, leaning on import Bennie Boatwright Jr. and the one-two punch of Jericho Cruz and Terrence Romeo for 42 points to ultimately dispose of the Elasto Painters at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City, no longer needing to reach for their twice-to-beat advantage.
“First half, Rain or Shine was clogging the lanes and we were just forcing our way in. In the second half, [the players] just learned how to kick out the ball and Jericho and the guards did well in shooting their threes. Just a great team offense,” said head coach Jorge Gallent as San Miguel now plots for their Final Four assignment, which could be either NorthPort or defending champion Barangay Ginebra–two squads that will face off later in the evening.
“It’s a waiting game for us. But in case we face NorthPort or Ginebra, we’ll be ready,” Gallent went on.
San Miguel Beer guard Jericho Cruz takes a shot against Rain or Shine in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Boatwright Jr. had 41 points and 10 rebounds while Cruz and Romeo tossed in 20 and 15, respectively, into the scoring coming off the bench. Skipper Chris Ross added 14, while cornerstone June Mar Fajardo had a double-double of his own with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The Elastopainters tried to make it interesting in the fourth period, but the effort came a tad too late against an enemy replete with weapons.
Import Tree Treadwell had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Rey Nambatac chipped in 16, while rookie Kieth Datu 14. Fellow freshman Adrian Nocum also finished with 14 while four others delivered twin-digit scores in the losing effort that officially ended the club’s six-game winning streak and conference.
The Scores:
SAN MIGUEL 127 – Boatwright 41, Cruz 20, Romeo 15, Ross 14, Fajardo 13, Perez 11, Lassiter 6, Trollano 4, Tautuaa 3,
RAIN OR SHINE 122 – Treadwell 22, Nambatac 16, Datu 14, Nocum 14, Mamuyac 13, Caracut 12, Santillan 11, Clarito 10, Belga 7, Norwood 3
Quarterscores: 36-32, 67-67, 109-89, 127-122.
