The San Miguel Beermen dominated the boards and eliminated the NLEX Road Warriors with a convincing 101-94 victory. Meanwhile, the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel pulled away in the second half and secured a 105-85 win on December 25 to force a do-or-die showdown against the Converge FiberXers.
TOP PERFORMERS OF THE DAY:
Robert Bolick NLX SG 31 PTS | 10 REB | 7 AST | 61.5 FPS
Bolick made an immediate impact in his return from a successful SEA Games campaign, leading the team in scoring with his third 28-point outing in his last four. He also topped the team in assists, recording his sixth game with at least seven while also posting his best rebounding performance of the conference.
June Mar Fajardo SMB C 26 PTS | 23 REB | 6 AST | 60.6 FPS
JMF controlled the paint, scoring 16 second-half points to finish with his third 20-point performance of the conference. He also added his second game with at least 20 rebounds and his fifth with at least 5 assists.
Justine Baltazar CON PF 19 PTS | 13 REB | 3 AST | 48.1 FPS
Baltazar recorded his 10th double-double of the conference, boosting his averages to 15.1 points and 13.8 rebounds per game. However, he has been less effective against Ginebra, posting just 10.5 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Rhon Jay Abarrientos GIN PG 35 PTS | 3 REB | 4 AST | 47.6 FPS
RJ went 12-of-18 from the field, including 6-of-8 from three, to record the best scoring performance of his career. He has fully emerged as a major offensive threat this conference, averaging 18.1 points per game.
Earl Scottie Thompson GIN SG 13 PTS | 12 REB | 10 AST | 47.4 FPS
Thompson finished with his third double-double and first triple-double of the conference. He is now averaging 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds, and also ranks third in the league with 6.42 assists per game.
Japeth Paul Aguilar GIN C 16 PTS | 6 REB | 4 BLK | 36.2 FPS
Japeth delivered on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he recorded his fourth 15-point game of the conference. Defensively, he posted a conference-best shot-blocking performance and has averaged three blocks over his last three outings.
John Rodney Brondial SMB C 8 PTS | 14 REB | 3 BLK | 33.3 FPS
Brondial played a major role in the rebounding department, grabbing 10 offensive rebounds and finishing with his fourth double-digit rebounding game of the conference. He’s now averaging 7.2 boards per game.
Celedonio Trollano SMB SF 17 PTS | 7 REB | 1 BLK | 31.9 FPS
Don had a rough start, missing all five of his shots and going scoreless in the first half. But he came alive in the third, scoring 15 points to push his team into the lead. He also made a big impact on the boards, finishing with his best rebounding game of the conference.
Jericho Xavier Cruz SMB SG 18 PTS | 1 REB | 2 AST | 22.2 FPS
Cruz led all bench players in scoring and has now scored in double-figures in six consecutive games.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE DAY:
Juan Gomez De Liano CON PG 9 PTS | 5 REB | 1 AST
Juan GDL exploded for a career-high 32 points in their previous win against Ginebra but struggled today and scored less than 10 points for just the second time this conference.
