MANILA – Jordan Adams caught fire offensively in the second half as San Miguel Beermen cruised to a come-from-behind 128-108 victory over Blackwater Bossing in the PBA Governors’ Cup on Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The former Memphis Grizzlies guard finished with 50 points, with 16 coming in the third quarter alone, to go with 11 rebounds, four assists, and three steals as the Beermen improved to a 2-0 win-loss slate.
Jaymar Perez added 14 markers, June Mar Fajardo and Ilonggo Jericho Cruz chipped in 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Aklanon Kris Rosales and Vic Manuel ended with 10 apiece for the Beermen.
Down 56-63 at the half, the Beermen went on a huge run in the third quarter behind Adams, Perez, and Fajardo as they established a 94-83 advantage against the all-Filipino Bossing.
The Beermen pulled away further in the fourth quarter with Manuel connecting perimeter hits and Fajardo and Adams knocking down their outside shots as the lead grew to as high as 21 points.
Beermen head coach Jorge Gallent admitted that they played complacent in the opening half, which led the Bossing surging ahead and taking a seven-point advantage at the break.
“I just reminded them that we are not playing the San Miguel brand of basketball in the first half, we were selfish in the first half, we weren’t rotating the ball, and we are giving the opponents easy shots in the paint,” Gallent said.
“That started from our offense, we were not doing good on offense and it give them the opportunity to score easily on the other end, but we just turned the defense on in the second half,” he added.
Jeth Troy Rosario led the way for the Bossing with 25 points, rookie Sedrick Barefield added 16 markers, James Kwekuteye and Jewel Ponferrada had 11 each, and Jayson David contributed 10 points.
The Bossing, which were forced to play without an import following the departure of ineffective former NBA player Ricky Ledo, suffered their third defeat in as many matches./PN
BOX SCORE:
SAN MIGUEL 128 – Adams 50, Perez 14, Fajardo 13, Cruz 12, Rosales 10, Manuel 10, Trollano 8, Teng 8, Ross 3, Nava 0, Tautuaa 0, Brondial 0, Jimenez 0.
BLACKWATER 108 – Rosario 25, Barefield 16, Kwekuteye 11, Ponferrada 11, David 10, Mitchell 9, Chua 7, Casio 6, Hill 4, Suerte 3, Guinto 2, Montalbo 2, Corteza 2, Tungcab 0, Jopia 0.
Quarterscores: 31-31, 56-63, 94-83, 128-108.
