The 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup continued on Sunday at the PhilSports Arena with two of the tournament’s top teams so far—San Miguel Beer and NLEX Road Warriors—in action against the Blackwater Bossing and Meralco Bolts, respectively. However, they suffered contrasting fates. Find out more in this recap:
Shorthanded San Miguel Deals Blackwater a Beating
Undermanned and all, the San Miguel Beermen still proved too good for the overmatched Blackwater Bossing as they built a big lead in the second quarter en route to a 115-78 demolition of their adversaries.
CJay Perez topscored for the Beermen with 20 markers, followed by June Mar Fajardo’s 17 points and 13 rebounds in just a little over two quarters of action. Don Trollano added 15 to help San Miguel overcome the absence of the sore eye-stricken Juami Tiongson, Marcio Lassiter, and Jeron Teng.
So dominant was San Miguel that Leo Austria had the luxury of giving his bench extended minutes. JM Calma responded with a conference-high 16, while Jericho Cruz had 13 points and a game-high 8 dimes. Chris Ross and Mo Tautaa chipped in 11 and 9, respectively, to underscore the Beermen’s dominance.
Christian David fired 15 for the Bossing, while BJ Andrade had 14. However, Sedrick Barefield was limited to just 5 points, preventing Blackwater from keeping up with the Beermen after battling them to a 24-22 first quarter.
The win is San Miguel’s sixth this conference, good enough to put them tied at second place. With their fourth straight loss, the Bossing are now riding the cellar with the Terrafirma Dyip at 1-7.
The scores:
San Miguel (115) – Perez 20, Fajardo 17, Calma 16, Trollano 15, Cruz 13, Ross 11, Tautuaa 9, Cahilig 8, Rosales 6, Brondial 0.
Blackwater (78) – David 15, Ilagan 14, Andrade 10, Caperal 8, Mallilin 6, Tratter 5, Barefield 5, Chua 4, Mitchell 3, Guinto 2, Escoto 2, Ayonayon 2, Casio 0
Up Next:
San Miguel vs. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on June 7 (Cagayan de Oro City Convention Center)
Blackwater vs. TNT Tropang 5G on June 6 (Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
Meralco Rides Strong Finish to Stop NLEX Streak
Chris Newsome and CJ Cansino delivered the goods in the second half to help the Meralco Bolts stymie the NLEX Road Warriors, 108-92, and improve their standing as the conference winds down.
Newsome and Cansino scored 21 and 20, respectively, and led Meralco’s third quarter storm, where they outscored NLEX 32-23 to turn a two-point halftime deficit to a 77-70 lead going into the fourth. Bong Quinto added 18, Chris Banchero fired 16, and Cliff Hodge scattered 12 for the Bolts, who further outscored the Road Warriors, 31-22, in the final period.
Robert Bolick carried the fight for NLEX with 22 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds, with Kevin Alas and JB Bahio each chipping in 14. Javee Mocon and Dominic Fajardo added 12 and 11, respectively.
With their second straight win, Meralco moved to an even 5-5 record—just a game behind seventh place Converge FiberXers. NLEX dropped to a tie with San Miguel in second at 6-2.
The scores:
Meralco (108) – Newsome 21, Cansino 20, Quinto 18, Banchero 16, Hodge 12, Black 8, Pasaol 7, Almazan 4, Jose 2, Caram 0, Bates 0
NLEX (92) – Bolick 22, Alas 14, Bahio 14, Mocon 12, Fajardo 11, Ramirez 6, Nieto 5, Torres 3, Amer 3, Semerad 2, Valdez 0, Herndon 0
Up Next:
Meralco vs. Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on May 30 (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
NLEX vs. Phoenix Fuel Masters on June 1 (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup Continues
The 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup continues on Wednesday at the PhilSports Arena with a double-header that will pit the Converge FiberXers and Terrafirma Dyip and the Phoenix Fuel Masters and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. Converge, Rain or Shine, and Phoenix are all fighting for the playoff lives, with the FiberXers and Elasto Painters looking to keep their top four hopes alive. The Fuel Masters, meanwhile, are hoping to win their remaining games to stay in the hunt.
