Beermen batter Aces to take Game 1 of semis
San Miguel shrugged off a slow start to take Game 1 after smothering Alaska, 92-79, in the best-of-five semifinals of the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
After a seesaw battle in the early goings, the Beermen broke free late in the first half.
“This is the most important game–the first game. As much as possible, we want to win the first game to dictate some tempo, or for them (Alaska) to think hard for their adjustment,” said San Miguel Beer head coach Leo Austria.
Reigning MVP Junemar Fajardo orchestrated a balanced attack with 17 points on top of nine rebounds and two steals. Alex Cabagnot tallied 15 markers and Puerto Rican import Renaldo Balkman finished with a double-double of 13 points and 11 boards.
Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos chipped in 12 points apiece while Kelly Nabong came off the bench to add 11 markers.
The Beermen pulled away after a tight first quarter with a 14-4 run capped by Balkman’s layup off a fastbreak for a 48-36 lead late in the opening half.
Lassiter and Fajardo collaborated to spark a 9-0 spurt at the restart, giving San Miguel its largest lead at 61-42.
Behind Diamon Simpson and Vic Manuel, the Aces staged an 18-9 rally to close the gap, 60-69, at the 3:35 mark of the third period.
That was the closest Alaska could get, however, as the veterans’ scoring spree sealed the win for San Miguel in the final frame.
American forward Simpson sizzled with 31 points and 24 rebounds while Manuel had 16 markers — the only Aces who scored in double figures.
Game 2 moves to the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday. JEREMIAH M. SEVILLA
The scores:
SAN MIGUEL (92)— Fajardo 17, Cabagnot 15, Balkman 13, Lassiter 12, Nabong 11, Standhardinger 9, Ross 3, Heruela 0.
ALASKA (79)— Simpson 31, Manuel 16, Enciso 7, Racal 7, Casio 6, Teng 4, Exciminiano 4, Thoss 2, Cruz 2, Pascual 0, Baclao 0, Galliguez 0.
Quarterscores: 25-24; 52-41; 75-65; 92-79
The post Beermen batter Aces to take Game 1 of semis appeared first on The Manila Times Online.