Blackwater gives winless San Miguel a black eye

Expansion club Blackwater finally found a way to stop a long dry spell. The same, however, could not be said of visibly struggling San Miguel Beer.

Finally showing the lethal finishing kick that they long lacked, the Elite pulled off the improbable on Wednesday night by upstaging the Beermen 80-77 for their breakthrough victory in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

After laying a big fat egg in 11 tries in the Philippine Cup while dropping its first three matches in the mid-season conference, Blackwater got off to a slow start but stayed hot on the heels of San Miguel Beer in the middle cantos then unleashed a strong closeout behind import Marcus Douthit and locals Gilbert Bulawan and Bam Gamalinda to complete the monumental upset.

The 6-foot-11 Douthit provided the needed inside presence with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks while ably complemented by the likes of Bulawan and Gamalinda–a pair of joiurneymen–in the closing stages to help the Elite snap a 14-game losing streak in the pro ranks and claim the big victory that probably felt like they have already won a championship.

Gamalinda collected seven markers, spiked by a booming triple that shattered a 72-all count and gave them the lead for good with 2:48 left to play, while Bulawan, an undersized power forward at 6-foot-4, banged in four of his six markers in the stretch, highlighted by an all-important putback that practically sealed the deal with 10.6 seconds left.

Those clutch exploits of Gamalinda and Bulawan preserved the game-long brilliance by their fellow locals, guard Brian Heruela—who had 11 points, nine rebounds, and five assists—and center Bryan Faundo—who scattered 10 markers and as many rebounds before fouling out with less than five minutes left remaining.

Import Ronald Robert Jr. delivered big numbers of 18 points and 17 rebounds but guard Chris Lutz, who celebrated his 30th birthday, emerged as the lone bright spot among San Miguel Beer locals with 16 markers, causing the Beermen to suffer their third straight setback since winning the All-Filipino crown.

Interestingly, San Miguel Beer also became the first team to suffer a pair of setbacks against the two newest squads. The Beermen also fell prey to the KIA Carnival 78-88 last Feb. 4.

Reigning league MVP June Mar Fajardo, playing in just 18 limited minutes, only had five points on 2-of-9 shooting and even sat out the entire fourth canto while ace power forward Arwind Santos had 11 markers but missed all but four of his 18 attempts from the field, underscoring the Beermen’s game long struggle against the Elite’s collective solid defense.

After wasting a 10-point lead in the first canto and trailing by as many as eight points, the Beermen regrouped early in the fourth canto and even took a 68-66 lead courtesy of Santos’ completed three-point play off Faundo’s sixth and final foul with 4:57 to go.

But just when San Miguel Beer though it could go all the way, Blackwater stayed compose as Douthit, Bulawan and Gamalinda conspired in a telling 12-4 run for a 78-72 spread with 1:21 left to play.

The Beermen, however, dug deep into their vast reservoir of experience as guard Alex Cabagnot canned two freebies then forward Ronald Tubid drilled in a trey in a 45-second sequence, cutting their deficit to one with 36 seconds left.

But Bulawan had other things in mind. With teammate Rob Celiz forced to take the a harried shot, the former San Sebastian Stag came out of nowhere as he soared in above a crowded lane and translated the miss into the game’s biggest bucket with 10.6 ticks to play, sending the Elite bench into a frenzy.

The Beermen tried to force an extra five-minute extension but their three desperate tries failed to find the mark, capped by Marcio Lassiter’s wild attempt as time expired.

The Main Man: Blackwater import Marcus Douthit certainly had the last laugh in their game-long duel with SMB counterpart Ronald Roberts, with the naturalized Gilas Pilipinas standout coming up with 20 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Honorable Mentions: Giving the 6-foot-11 Douthit the needed lift in the stretch were locals Gilbert Bulawan and Bam Gamalinda.

Game Turning Point: Protecting a one-point lead, the Elite found an unlikely savior in Gilbert Bulawan, with the former San Sebastian College-Recoletos stalwart coming through with the decisive put-back that stretched their lead back to three with under 11 seconds left.

Stat of the Game: The Elite made life miserable for the Beermen, forcing them to make just 27 of their 97 attempts for a horrendous 29.7 shooting from the field. In contrast, Blackwater had an efficient 31-of-82 clip, good for 37.8 percent.

Next Games:
San Miguel Beer versus Alaska on Feb. 17 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum
Blackwater against GlobalPort on Feb. 22 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum

He Said It:
Blackwater coach Leo Isaac: It’s a moment that I will cherish especially by the franchise. After 14 games we finally tasted a victory. Hopefully this win will turn into a brighter side for Blackwater. The way Douthit is playing it will be tough decision for management when Chris Charles hits town.

The scores:

BLACKWATER 80 - Douthit 20, Heruela 11, Faundo 10, Nuyles 8, Gamalinda 7, Bulawan 6, Salvacion 6, Canada 3, Celiz 3, Ballesteros 2, Laure 2, Acuna 2, Timberlake 0, Reyes 0, Erram 0.

SAN MIGUEL 77 - Roberts 18, Lutz 16, Santos 11, Tubid 9, Cabagnot 5, Lassiter 5, Fajardo 5, Ross 4, Omolon 2, Fortuna 2, Maierhofer 0, Kramer 0, Reyes 0, Semerad 0.

Quarter scores: 11-21, 38-44, 60-52, 80-77.