SAN MIGUEL BEER repulsed Meralco’s late rally for a 113-108 victory at the close of the elimination round Friday in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
The Bolts put up a gallant stand in the second half but were denied by the Beermen, who went 7-5 won-lost for the No. 5 spot in the quarterfinals where they will face the fourth-seeded Converge FiberXers.
Magnolia rallied past Rain or Shine, 106-90, also on Friday to finish at No. 2 and secure the last twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals with a 10-2 record.
The Hotshots, who outscored the Elasto Painters in last period, 35-13, will take on No. 7 Phoenix Super LPG.
Rain or Shine will meet NLEX on Sunday in a do-or-die playoff for the eighth and last quarterfinals slot.
Devon Scott was 11-of-15 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free line for 32 points he laced with 13 rebounds, while Marcio Lassiter had 13 points and returning Terrence Romeo finished with 12 points for the Beermen.
“I think we showed a lot of focus down the stretch even though we let the lead go down,” Scott said. “I think going forward to Converge we want to continue to have the same grit and focus.”
CJ Perez and Jericho Cruz added 10 points each also for San Miguel Beer.
The Beermen posted a commanding 77-52 lead in the third period but the Bolts outscored them in the final quarter, 34-19, to trim down the gap to single digit.
KJ McDaniels led the Bolts with 27 points and eight rebounds while Aaron Black had 21 points.
Bong Quinto, who scored 15 points, pushed Meralco to within 111-108 with 13.4 seconds to go.
But Scott made two free throws in the fading seconds to give San Miguel a breather.
Meralco ended its campaign with a 4-8 record.