Hotshots bow to Beermen in Finals opener

San Miguel dominated the first half and withstood a late rally by Magnolia to win Game 1 of the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup Finals, 103-95, on Friday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Bennie Boatwright and Marcio Lassiter fueled a 41-point second quarter explosion with back-to-back-to-back three-pointers that gave the Beermen a commanding 61-44 lead at the half.

Except for the final minutes when Magnolia’s bench players cut the lead down to five, San Miguel was in full control for most of the contest in the opener of the best-of-seven championship series that they are heavily favored to capture.

Game 2 will be on Sunday at the same venue.

The Beermen were red-hot in the first half, draining 9 of 18 shots from beyond the arc while limiting the Hotshots to just 1 three-pointer. San Miguel also shot 54% in the first two quarters, forcing Magnolia to play catch-up the rest of the way.

San Miguel has now won 10 straight, with Boatwright still unbeaten in 8 games since replacing Ivan Aska during the elimination round.

Magnolia suffered the Game 1 loss just two days after eliminating Phoenix Super LPG in Game 4 of their semifinal series.

Boatwright had 28 points, 16 rebounds and 2 blocks, while Lassiter scored 16 points on 4 of 5 three-point shooting. CJ Perez added 19 points and 3 steals for San Miguel, which was up 94-74 before Magnolia’s bench mounted a late comeback.

June Mar Fajardo contributed 11 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks for the Beermen.

Tyler Bey led Magnolia with 26 points and 15 rebounds, while Mark Barroca had 16 points. But the Hotshots sorely missed the offense of Jio Jalalon and Paul Lee, who combined for just 14 points.

Jalalon did have 11 rebounds and 12 assists but shot just 4 of 14. Calvin Abueva struggled to a 2-of-10 night, finishing with 6 points.

The scores:

San Miguel 103 – Boatwright 28, Perez 19, Lassiter 16, Fajardo 11, Trollano 10, Cruz 8, Romeo 5, Teng 4, Ross 2, Enciso 0, Tautuaa 0, Brondial 0.

Magnolia 95 – Bey 26, Barroca 16, Jalalon 8, Sangalang 8, Dionisio 8, Eriobu 7, Lee 6, Abueva 6, Tratter 5, Escoto 3, Laput 2, Reavis 0, Dela Rosa 0, Mendoza 0.

Quarterscores: 20-24, 61-44, 85-72, 103-95.