San Miguel turns it on in 2nd half to beat Blackwater

MANILA, Philippines – The San Miguel Beermen avoided an upset and came back from 16 points down to frustrate the Blackwater Elite, 124-113, in the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday, May 31, at the Cuneta Astrodome.

The Beermen kept their bid for a twice-to-beat advantage alive with the key victory, as they improved to an 8-2 record with still one game left and became tied with sister teams Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Star Hotshots.

San Miguel was down by as much as 16 points amid Blackwater’s first half offensive outburst. The Beermen then turned it on in the second half, outscoring the Elite, 68-41, to come away with the victory.

Charles Rhodes had a game-high 32 points with 9 rebounds while June Mar Fajardo posted 28 markers and 7 boards.

Marcio Lassiter nearly had a triple-double with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and a whopping 8 steals, effectively accounting for half of San Miguel’s 16 steals. Blackwater had only 9 thefts and its 27 turnovers resulted in 30 points for San Miguel.

Chris Ross had a double-double of 14 points and 13 assists, as Arwind Santos came up with 13 points and 8 rebounds off the bench.

Greg Smith led 6 Blackwater players in double figures with 21 points, 22 rebounds, 5 assists, and two steals. But he turned the ball over 11 times.

Mark Cruz, Mike Digregorio, and Niño Canaleta all posted 16 points apiece while Nard Pinto and Reil Cervantes chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Elite finished the conference with a 2-9 record.

Scores:

San Miguel (124): Rhodes 32, Fajardo 28, Lassiter 21, Ross 14, Santos 13, Espinas 10, Cabagnot 6, Tubid 0, Reyes 0, Heruela 0. 

Blackwater (113): Smith 21, Digregorio 16, Canaleta 16, Cruz 16, Pinto 11, Cervantes 10, Sena 8, Aguilar 7, Gamalinda 5, Buenafe 3, Pascual 0, Erram 0. 

Quarter scores: 30-32, 56-72, 90-96, 124-113.

– Rappler.com