PBA: Boatwright, SMB knock out Rain or Shine for semis spot

Bennie Boatwright and San Miguel surged in the third quarter but had to fend off a late rally against Rain or Shine, 127-122, to punch a semifinals ticket in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Friday at the PhilSports Arena.

The Beermen now await the winner of the other quarterfinal pairing between sister team Barangay Ginebra and NorthPort.

Boatwright already had a whopping 26 points at the halftime mark, but the import’s production wasn’t enough to bring the Beermen to a cushion as both teams were knotted at 67-all after the Elasto Painters unloaded three straight triples to end the second.

The Beermen then suddenly exploded in the third period with Boatwright dropping another 13 markers as they outscored the Elasto Painters, 42 to 22, to take a 109-89 lead and even extended it to as much as 22 halfway through the payoff frame, 103-125. 

Rain or Shine, though, was able to get back in the game when import Tree Treadwell and locals Santi Santillan and Keith Datu connived to cut their deficit to 10 with 4:30 to go in the game, 125-115. 

Treadwell, who was inconsistent in the charity stripe, sank two crucial free throws to further slice the gap to a single digit, 119-127. However, two consecutive misses from the field by Santillan and Treadwell allowed the Beermen to cruise to the victory. 

Boatwright ended another outing with a double-double effort of 41 points and 10 rebounds alongside four assists and one block while Jericho Cruz churned out 20 markers off the bench. 

Terrence Romeo and June Mar Fajardo were also key cogs with 15 and 13 points apiece with the seven-time MVP collecting 13 boards as well. 

Scores:

SMB 127 – Boatwright 41, Cruz 20, Romeo 15, Ross 14, Fajardo 13, Perez 11, Lassiter 6, Trollano 4, Tautuaa 3.

Rain or Shine 122 – Treadwell 22, Nambatac 16, Datu 14, Nocum 14, Mamuyac 13, Caracut 12, Santillan 11, Clarito 10, Belga 7, Norwood 3.

Quarters: 36-32, 67-67, 109-89, 127-122.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News