Basketball
Sluggish start for Bennie Boatwright as he adjusts to humid conditions
Bennie Boatwright is taking quite some time to get acclimatized to the humid Manila weather since coming back, and it was evident with his performance for San Miguel during Tuesday’s PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup action.
The 6-foot-10 winger went a dismal 5-of-20 from the field, including a 0-for-7 clip from the arcs, although he managed to finish the night with 16 points and 11 rebounds to help his side get back on track at the expense of Meralco.
“I noticed from him, very sluggish siya eh, especially during practice. Maybe he’s still adjusting to our weather,” Coach Leo Austria offered after their 103-92 victory at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, which pumped life into their playoff hopes.
While this is already his second tour of duty in Asia’s pioneering pro league, this is actually his first time playing in the country during the summer.
It could be recalled that the former USC Trojan’s maiden PBA stint was in the Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup, in which he was flown in during the Yuletide season and made his Beermen debut on Christmas Day of 2023.
(C) PBA Images
Definitely, his current climate-wise experience is a stark contrast to his first, thus the struggles he’s going through, which have been reflected on the court.
His showing against the Bolts was easily his worst after impressing in his first two outings against NLEX and Blackwater, where he averaged 39.5 points on 44.8-percent shooting from the field, 14.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists.
However, Boatwright’s yet to have a good shooting night from deep. Including Tuesday, the 29-year-old has converted just five of his 26 attempts.
From four-point distance, if you’re wondering about it as well, the Gilas Pilipinas naturalization candidate has nailed just four of his 12 tries thus far.
He himself acknowledged the drop and the adjustment he’s getting through, but the LA-native isn’t sweating it that much and vowed to do better.
“Just part of the game. Just getting back used to playing all these minutes and just getting adjusted,” said Boatwright, who’s been playing an average of 40 minutes.
“Simply just get back in the gym, and I’ll be ready for the next game.”
Austria, for his part, is optimistic that his prized import will be able to return to his old form, especially with two crucial games ahead in their quarterfinal bid: Terrafirma on May 6 and then Phoenix on May 9.
“Bennie, after this game, I think he will realize na he needs to perform well especially in the next two games namin, which is a must-win for us to get into the next round,” the multiple-time Coach of the Year said.
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NLEX took the solo lead in Group A following a convincing 110-96 victory over the erstwhile perfect San Miguel to extend its unbeaten run to four in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
In a game where they showed a bit of everything, the Road Warriors went on a tear in the second chapter, inflated the lead to its biggest at 25 in the third, and then displayed solid poise in the defining chapter to put the Beermen away.
Robert Bolick connected on a four, then came Robbie Herndon with a triple not long after as that 7-0 spurt pushed their lead back to 99-84 with 6:23 to go, and that proved to be enough to restore order after their foes cut the gap to eight.
DeQuan Jones took over afterward to lead the strong closeout as they went on to become the lone team without a loss thus far as the Beermen fell to 3-1.
In what’s becoming a trend since Coach Jimmy Alapag arrived, NLEX leaned on another balanced attack that saw a five finish in double figures
Jones himself led the way with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Deschon Winston finished with 24 points, four rebounds, and four assists as he triggered the 14-0 run in the second chapter for a 44-27 lead that set the tone for the rout.
Tony Semerad had 15 points as his long bombs helped put together the solid finish. Bolick came just short of a triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists while Herndon added 13 markers to lead the bench mob.
The post NLEX hands San Miguel first loss, claims solo PBA Group A lead appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
Joseph Yeo and Chris Tiu rekindled their legendary partnership as Xavier School edged the James Yap-led Hua Siong College-Iloilo, 75-72, in Game 1 of the 40 Years Division finals of the Fil-Chinese Athletic Association Inc. on Friday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Though no longer as quick or explosive as they were in their prime, the Powersox-AcroCity-backed Xavier stars remained deadly from beyond the arc, delivering clutch baskets down the stretch to topple the defending champions in the opener of their best-of-three title series before a sizable crowd.
The Golden Stallions now stand one win away from the championship and a measure of revenge after falling to Hua Siong in last year’s finals. They can seal the title with another victory on Monday.
Yeo turned back the clock with a game-high 30 points, highlighted by four three-pointers, to outduel fellow PBA great James Yap. He scored Xavier’s final seven points, including a crucial triple that stretched the lead to 71-66 late in the contest.
Yap answered with 18 points, knocking down two booming three-pointers, but his efforts were not enough as the Lamtex Pipes-backed Hua Siong absorbed its first loss after sweeping all eight elimination-round games. Hua Siong had also cruised past GT Radial-Grace Christian College, 108-74, in the semifinals.
Tiu also played a key role in the victory, finishing with 17 points while sinking two of Xavier’s 13 three-pointers. Hua Siong, meanwhile, connected on nine triples.
In the battle for third place, Grace Christian College rolled past SCAG-St. Stephen’s, 60-40, behind Allan Anson Tan’s 20-point performance to finish third in the nine-team tournament.
With Yap struggling to find his rhythm late, Ken Bono tried to keep Hua Siong within striking distance, but Xavier would not be denied.
The league is backed by Smart Sports, Tanduay Athletics, Genius Hardware, Ultraforce Tires, Cellboy, PGFlex Linoleum, Boysen, Lamtex Pipes, Jiang Nan, Hangry Pares, Powerhouse Tools, L.F. Fireworks, BYD Valenzuela, BAIC, Jetour, Yong Kee Roasting House, 1118 Autospa, and TCL.
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Ramon Cao asserted himself in the endgame to help Macau complete a 132-126 comeback win over Titan Ultra to break through in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup, Saturday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The reliable big man finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds as he basically took it upon himself to bring the Giant Risers home after seeing themselves staring at a 120-119 deficit with 1:52 remaining.
He scored seven straight to give themselves the 126-120 lead with 31.1 seconds left, which were enough to put them ahead permanently while the opposition could only try to answer back but to no avail
De’Vondre Perry helped him out to keep their foes at bay before Cao applied the final blow with a cleanup from point-blank as the former Bay Area Dragons forward produced 11 of Macau’s last 13 points of the bout.
With this, the guest team improved to 1-4 while sending Titan crashing back to earth after beating TNT previously.
The post PBA: Ramon Cao powers Macau’s stunning comeback to first win at Titan’s expense appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
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