The PBA Commissioner’s Cup continued with Tuesday’s double-header at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The curtain-raiser was a blowout, but the nightcap proved to be the game of this young conference.
Here is a recap of the action:
NLEX Throttles Terrafirma for Back-to-Back Wins
Monster games from Mike Watkins and Robert Bolick carried the NLEX Road Warriors past the Terrafirma Dyip, 104-85, in the first game of Tuesday’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup doubleheader.
Watkins finished with 26 points and 30 rebounds—16 in the first half alone—while Bolick added 32 markers on top of 4 boards and 5 dimes. Xyrus Torres and Anthony Semerad chipped in 15 and 13, respectively.
NLEX raced out to an early 27-11 after one, and that was all she wrote for the Road Warriors, who built as much as a 25-point lead en route to their second win this conference. The Dyip, who never led in the game, was led by Vic Manuel’s 22 points and 5 rebounds. Aljun Melecio and Kevin Ferrer added 10 apiece.
The Scores:
- NLEX 104 – Bolick 32, Watkins 26, Torres 15, Semerad 13, Rodger 7, Herndon 3, Bahio 2, Fajardo 2, Valdez 2, Alas 2
- Terrafirma 85 – Manuel 22, Melecio 10, Ferrer 10, Pringle 9, Zaldivar 7, Nonoy 6, Richards 6, Sangalang 5, Olivario 3, Catapusan 3, Hernandez 2, Paraiso 2
San Miguel Escapes Phoenix in Thriller
Retooled with the additions of Juami Tiongson and Andreas Cahilig, the San Miguel Beermen opened their PBA Commissioner’s Cup campaign with a thrilling 107-104 triumph over the Phoenix Fuel Masters.
While Tiongson and Cahilig provided the expected firepower, it was old reliable Marcio Lassiter who drilled the game-winner—a corner jumper off a pass from Tiongson—with 2.3 ticks left. Lassiter’s completed San Miguel’s fourth-quarter fight back after Phoenix took an 80-71 lead into the final canto.
Tiongson scored 8 points and dished out 5 assists in his San Miguel debut, while Cahilig added 12—all on three-point bombs in the payoff period as the Beermen made their run. Reigning MVP June Mar Fajardo had only 8 points but grabbed 16 rebounds. Donovan Smith’s 37-point, 15-rebound double-double powered the Fuel Masters, who also got 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists from Tyler Tio.
The Scores:
- San Miguel 107 – Perez 18, Lassiter 15, Miller 14, Trollano 14, Cahilig 12, Tiongson 8, Fajardo 8, Cruz 8, Enciso 5, Ross 3, Brondial 2, Tautuaa 0
- Phoenix 104 – Smith 37, Tio 23, Perkins 21, Tuffin 7, Rivero 4, Jazul 4, Garcia 3, Manganti 3, Ballungay 2
The PBA Commissioner’s Cup Continues
The PBA Commissioner’s Cup will stay at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium later today with another doubleheader. The first game will see the Northport Batang Pier face off against the Magnolia Hotshots. The second game will put Hong Kong Eastern and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. Both the Batang Pier and Eastern are gunning for their third win and the top spot in the standings.
