Stamping its class methodically, San Miguel Beer kept rolling and cruised to a 115-106 rout of exiting Blackwater to formally clinch a berth in the quarterfinals in the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City last night.
Now having a complete grasp of the chemistry they were looking for, the Beermen banked on a collective team effort in taking care of business.
Arwind Santos and Marcio Lassiter led seven San Miguel Beer chargers in double-figures.
Santos had a splendid showing with a double-double of 23 points and 15 rebounds for team-high honors, while Lassiter had 18 points and six assists.
Kelly Nabong added 13 markers, Alex Cabagnot and Renaldo Balkman accounted for 12 each, while June Mar Fajardo and Brian Heruela chipped in 10 apiece for the Beermen.
San Miguel notched its third straight victory and improved to 6-4 in the standings, keeping its tight grip on the No. 5 seed with a game left in its schedule.
Moreover, the Beermen assured themselves of a top six finish and avoided a twice-to-win disadvantage in the next round.
The Beermen, who actually trailed 28-34 at the end of one, gained leverage by closing out the first half strong after some early struggles.
Down by five in the waning minutes of the second canto, San Miguel Beer stepped on the gas pedal to finish the first 24 minutes with a 15-2 barrage.
From being down, 42-47, the Beermen suddenly took a 57-49 lead at the turn behind the offensive exploits of Lassiter and Santos.
The dynamic forward duo already combined for 28 points at the half, including five triples, with Lassiter dropping 15 and Santos hitting 13.
Carrying its momentum over to the second half, San Miguel Beer then put the finishing touches in the third, adding six more to its lead for an 84-70 spread heading into the fourth.
It was about adding insult to injury in the final 12 minutes for the Beermen, carving several 20-point leads before Blackwater managed to trim the difference in the final tally.
For the Elite, its forgettable campaign in the conference is now over as it managed to finish at the bottom with a dismal 1-10 showing.
Henry Walker led all scorers with a game-high 26 points for Blackwater.
The scores:
San Miguel 115 – Santos 23, Lassiter 18, Nabong 13, Balkman 12, Cabagnot 12, Fajardo 10, Heruela 10, Ross 7, Pessumal 6, Mamaril 2, Vigil 2, Rosser 0.
Blackwater 106 – Walker 26, Digregorio 19, Pinto 13, Zamar 11, Banal 11, Al-Hussaini 10, Jose 6, Sena 4, Javier 2, Palma 2, Cortez 2, Maliksi 0.
Final: 28-34, 57-49, 84-70, 115-106.