The PBA Commissioner’s Cup continued on Tuesday with another double-header at the Ynares Center, where one team pulled off a stunning comeback and two teams played essentially all-Filipino. Here is a recap of the action:
Eastern Turns Back Blackwater Behind New Import
New import Chris McLaughlin had a rousing debut on Tuesday, leading Hong Kong Eastern to an 84-75 triumph over the Blackwater Bossing. McLaughlin put up 32 points—including 22 in the first half alone—and 23 rebounds to lead Eastern to their fourth win against a loss.
The Bossing, still winless in four tries, were actually ahead 49-43 at intermission after George King’s scintillating 31-point first half. However, a 27-9 third quarter turned the game around for Eastern, who also got 14 points and 7 rebounds from Glen Yang and 10 and 11 from Kobey Lam. George finished with 41 for Blackwater. Sedrick Barefield and Rey Suerte had 9 apiece.
Blackwater shoots for win no. 1 on December 12 when they face the Meralco Bolts at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Eastern will face an acid test the next time they play as they go up against crowd favorites Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on December 15 at the Ynares Center.
The Scores:
- Eastern (84) – McLaughlin 32, Yang 14, Lam 10, Guinchard 8, Xu 7, Cheung 5, Cao 4, Blankley 2, Pok 2
- Blackwater (75) – King 41, Barefield 9, Suerte 9, Chua 4, Kwekuteye 4, David 4, Ilagan 3, Ponferrada 1
Rain or Shine Wallops San Miguel After Fourth-Quarter Salvo
A fourth-quarter explosion was all it took for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters to get past the San Miguel Beermen, 107-93, in Tuesday’s main game.
San Miguel was still leading, 72-70 entering the fourth, but Rain or Shine unleashed 12 unanswered points midway through the final canto to turn a 78-76 deficit to an 88-78 advantage. The Elasto Painters poured in from there, finishing the fourth with 37 big points as against the Beermen’s 21.
Deon Thompson bucked foul trouble to lead Rain or Shine with 18 markers, while Adrian Nocum and Caelan Tiongson added 15 and 14, respectively. Keith Datu and Felix Lemetti each had 12. June Mar Fajardo spearheaded the Beermen, finishing with a game-high 20 and 10 boards. Juami Tiongson chipped in 16—half in the third quarter.
The Beermen, now 1-2, next take on the Terrafirma Dyip on December 15 at the Ynares Center. The Elasto Painters, who climbed to 2-1, next face the Magnolia Hotshots on December 18 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Scores:
- Rain or Shine (107) – Thompson 18, Nocum 15, Tiongson 14, Lemetti 12, Datu 12, Clarito 10, Santillan 9, Caracut 8, Asistio 4, Norwood 3, Ildefonso 2
- San Miguel (93) – Fajardo 20, Tiongson 16, Miller 12, Tautuaa 10, Perez 9, Cruz 7, Trollano 7, Teng 5, Ross 3, Lassiter 3, Cahilig 1
PBA Commissioner’s Cup Continues
The PBA Commissioner’s Cup will have an explosive double-header this Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The Magnolia Hotshots and TNT Tropang Giga will start off hostilities, with the NLEX Road Warriors taking on the debuting Barangay Ginebra in the nightcap.
