ANTIPOLO - Bennie Boatwright came away with 41 points in his return to San Miguel, leading the Beermen to a thrilling 98-94 win over NLEX on Sunday in the PBA 50th Season Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Center.
Returning to the league three years since leading SMB to the championship in this same conference, Boatwright capped a double-double debut by losing Cady Lalanne on a baseline drive which he capped with a two-handed dunk with 32.1 seconds left.
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That broke the final deadlock at 94-94 and set the Beermen on the way to their fourth win in eight games - and, more importantly, an encouraging sign that their linany of import woes is finally behind them.
By reviving their playoff bid, the Beermen also ended NLEX’s four-game winning streak, dragging the Road Warriors down to 6-2 (win-loss).
Earlier, Boatwright put San Miguel in position to win after a slow start to the game, making back-to-back four-point shots to cap a 14-0 run that made it a 64-54 lead in the third quarter.
The Beermen barely held on after the Road Warriors started the game like a house on fire by shooting 14-of-17 from the field.
San Miguel coach Leo Austria revealed that Boatwright was dealing with coughs and colds in the lead-up to the game, and didn't practice on Saturday to rest.
“Talagang makikita natin ang difference ni Boatwright and a big impact siya sa team. He is really comfortable playing with the team,” said Austria.
Boatwright shot 13-of-29 from the field, hitting three fours and two triples, and hauled down 11 rebounds in his first game since replacing Justin Patton at San Miguel, which started the conference with Marcus Lee.
Cady Lalanne scored 35 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, with the NLEX import making his first six shots of the game.
After the Boatwright dunk, NLEX's next possession ended with Richie Rodger missing a wide-open three-point shot, leading to a lay-up by Cjay Perez, who breached the 5,000-point mark in the process.
The scores:
San Miguel 98 – Boatwright 41, Lassiter 16, Perez 13, Cruz 11, Fajardo 10, Tiongson 5, Tautuaa 2, Cahilig 0, Brondial 0, Ross 0, Rosales 0.
NLEX 94 – Lalanne 35, Winston 20, Bolick 9, Gonzales 8, Semerad 6, Rodger 5, Bahio 4, Racal 3, Torres 3, Alas 1, Fajardo 0, Ramirez 0, Herndon 0.
Quarters: 25-35; 50-52; 77-68; 98-94.
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