By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The San Miguel Beermen increased its chances of a top 4 preliminary finish in the ongoing PBA Commissioner’s Cup after demolishing the Terrafirma Dyip, 132-110, last January 7, 2024, held at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Fresh off three consecutive wins in the past two weeks, the Beermen became the hottest league in the import-laced conference after clinching its fourth straight victory to kick off the new year.
Leading the charge for San Miguel is reinforcement Bennie Boatwright who dropped a game-high 51 points built from an efficient 19/31 shooting from the field.
The scoring machine import immediately let his presence felt in the opening quarter after draining a couple of bombs from the three-point line before bullying the Terrafirma frontline at the post in the last three frames.
After a slim seven-point advantage at the end of the first half, Boatwright’s offensive explosion in the last two cantos made the difference for the Beermen as it helped them build a double-digit lead.
Despite the double teams that Terrafirma deployed on Boatwright in the second half, the waxing hot import still found several ways to score and was just too much for them defensively.
After almost 41 minutes of playing time, Boatwright capped off his monster outing with seven made threes, 12 field goals from the perimeter, and six drained free throws.
Top-scoring for the San Miguel locals is newly-acquired veteran Don Trollano who contributed 22 markers, seven rebounds, and four assists.
The duo of Moala Tautuaa and CJ Perez scored 16 each for the Beermen and combined for 11/22 shooting from the field.
Terrence Romeo also continued his efficient PBA return and torched Terrafirma with 12 points, seven assists, one rebound, and a steal.
San Miguel will look to end its elimination phase on a five-game winning streak on January 12, 2024, as they face the struggling Blackwater Bossing in their last game of the regular season.
