Beermen storm into semis

After getting first-place honors in the eliminations, San Miguel Beer also took the distinction of being the first team to make it to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals by disposing of Mobiline, 81-71, last night at the Philsports Arena.

Though enjoying a twice-to-beat incentive, the Beermen left nothing to chance, delivering the knockout punch on the Phone Pals much to the disappointment of the Mobiline fans who were anticipating a Mobiline coup following coach Louie Alas’ vow that they would beat their fancied rival.

If Alas’ idea in making the statement was to fire up his boys, the ploy backfired as it motivated the Beermen to work harder, throwing the full weight of their armada on the Phone Pals.

"Probably, it was his motivational tool. However, I also used his statement to motivate my boys. And I think it helped us win the game," said San Miguel coach Jong Uichico, whose boys moved within three wins of the finals after hurdling the Phone Pals.

Dan Seigle and Nate Johnson came up with huge numbers as San Miguel surged past Mobiline and into the best-of-five semifinal playoff versus the Alaska Milk-Sta. Lucia Realty matchup.

"Which ever team we face in the semis I think it will give us a good fight. Kasi kahit kanino sa Alaska at Sta. Lucia nahihirapan kami sa matchups. Sta. Lucia is a tall team while Alaska also has the height plus young legs," said Uichico.

Against the Phone Pals, the Beermen hardly encountered a problem as they got off to a jackrabbit start and never slowed down until the final buzzer.

Shooting much better while also dominating the boards, the Beermen led by as many as 17 points, 43-26, and won the game convincingly despite 25 turnovers to the Phone Pals’ 16. San Miguel shot 48 percent from the field while Mobiline hit on a 40-percent clip.

The Phone Pals took the half at 43-31 and carried a 65-56 lead into the final quarter.

Seigle took scoring honors as he humbled all the defenders thrown at him by Alas, including Tood Bernard, coming away with 24 points that went with seven rebounds and three assists.

Johnson also showed up Asi Taulava in their matchup, tallying 23 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four blocks and two steals. He hurt his foot on a bad fall in the fourth quarter but returned to finish the game with aplomb.

Taulava had a double-double game with 20 points and 11 rebounds but he hardly got help from his teammates. Bernard struggled for only 13 points, going 5-of-14 from the field.