Beermen open Comm’s Cup title-retention drive with shock loss to Bossing

Baser Amer and Mike Ayonayon teamed up in the endgame and towed Blackwater past San Miguel, 109-106, in the elimination round of the PBA Season 47 Commissioner’s Cup, Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Amer drained a clutch triple with 32 seconds left in the payoff period to give Bossing the lead, 107-106. Ayonayon then intercepted a weak pass by CJ Perez to SMB import Diamond Stone and went all the way for the easy deuce which clinched the team’s second win in 4 starts.

The Beermen, on the other hand, started their title-retention drive with a loss despite entering the final frame with a 12-point advantage, 89-77.

Import Cameron Krutwig paced the Bossing with a triple-double performance of 20 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists to go with 2 blocks in 40 minutes of action.

“Sabi ko nga sa huddle, this is the best time to beat San Miguel kasi they’re still struggling. Bago pa ‘yung import,” said Blackwater head coach Ariel Vanguardia during the post-game presser.

“Sa totoo lang, hindi pa kami sanay na kami yung lamang. ‘Yun nag nakikita ko, Kasi yung dalawang victory namin, come-from-behind — pati sa Phoenix, come-from-behind din. It’s a learning process,” he added.

Amer and Ayonayon finished with 16 and 10 markers, respectively while Troy Rosario added 13 with 6 coming from beyond the arc. Yousef Taha chipped in 11 while Gab Banal added 10.

June Mar Fajardo led the charge for the Beermen with an impeccable statline of 23 points, on 11-of-16 shooting including 1-of-1 from the 3-point area, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and a block in 37 minutes of play.

Diamond Stone, who came in as a late replacement for original choice Thomas Robinson, contributed 20 points but shot a measly 7-of-23 from the field including 0-of-6 from long distance.

Marcio Lasster scored 18 while CJ Perez and Mo Tautuaa added 16 and 11 points, respectively.

The Beermen will try to bounce back against Rain or Shine on Sunday, October 9, 4:30pm at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

The scores:

Blackwater 109 – Krutwig 20, Amer 16, Rosario 13, Taha 11, Ayonayon 10, Banal 10, Suerte 7, MacCarthy 7, Jackson 7, Ular 4, Ebona 4, Sena 0, Go 0.

San Miguel 106 – Fajardo 23, Stone 20, Lassiter 18, Perez 16, Tautuaa 11, Cruz 8, Enciso 6, Manuel 4, Herndon 0, Ross 0.

Quarterscores: 29-33, 61-64, 77-89, 109-106.