Balkman powers Beermen over FuelMasters for first win

San Miguel Beer finally snared its first victory in the PBA’s Commissioner’s Cup after turning back Phoenix, 106-94, in the nightcap of Wednesday’s PBA action at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Renaldo Balkman played like a man possessed, scattering 35 points, hauling down 17 boards, and registering four dimes and four blocks to help the Beermen arrest their dry spell in the mid-season joust.

The Puerto Rican cager accounted for 20 points in the second half, which figured as the catalyst for the Beermen’s change in pace.





"First of all, we're so lucky we're able to snatch this game, a very important game for us. In the first half, we’re really struggling. Mabuti na lang after the break, we realized na this is a very important game so nag-step up ang mga players,” Beermen head coach Leo Austria said.

“We're not yet in the game we had during the playoffs of the All-Filipino. We’re trying our best to be there as soon as possible, and makuha namin ang chemistry namin. We're still trying to figure out what to do. Seven or eight players are deserving to be in the starting lineup. Good thing the players off the bench, they played well, they stepped up. I think slowly nakukuha na namin ang right combination para sa team namin,” he added.

Christian Standhardinger, who came off the bench, added 18 points in the effort. Starters Marcio Lassiter, Alex Cabagnot and Arwind Santos combined for 38 to help erase what was a 13-point lead by the Fuel Masters early in the game.

Phoenix’s import Eugene Phelps had 33 points and 17 rebounds to match his counterpart’s double-double. Matthew Wright and RJ Jazul chipped in 17 and 10 points, respectively.

But that’s all the double-digit scoring Phoenix got from its crew as they were no longer able to keep up with Balkman and his contagious play in the final four minutes of the game.





That payoff period rally included pesky showings from Santos, June Mar Fajardo, and Cabagnot, as if reminding the opposition of how deep the Beermen are when it comes to offensive options.

The defending conference champions improved to 1-4 in the conference, while the Fuel Masters dropped to 3-3.

The Scores:

San Miguel (106): Balkman 35, Standhardinger 18, Cabagnot 13, Santos 13, Lassiter 12, Fajardo 9, Ross 6, Ganuelas-Rosser 0, Lanete 0, Heruela 0

Phoenix (94): Phelps 33, Wright 17, Jazul 10, Chua 8, Perkins 8, Wilson 6, Kramer 6, Chan 4, Mendoza 2, Revilla 0, Intal 0

Quarter scores: 17-18, 37-49, 70-72, 106-94

SOURCE: https://www.philstar.com/sports/2018/05/30/1820258/balkman-powers-beermen-over-fuel-masters-first-win#c6tABQKyQmhf5blb.99