Bay Area spoils Leo Austria's return, repeats over SMB to near PBA Comm's Cup Finals berth

Andrew Nicholson dominated anew for the now 2-0 Dragons. PBA Images

By Ivan Saldajeno

PASIG—Bay Area inched closer to a spot in the PBA Commissioner's Cup finals after beating San Miguel anew, 114-95, in Game 2 of their semifinal series on Friday night at the PhilSports Arena.

The Dragons put up a more dominant performance than their nail-biter Game 1 win even if the Beermen pulled off a surprise by bringing back head coach Leo Austria.

Bay Area pulled away from SMB in the second quarter, outscoring them, 26-17, to virtually seal the 2-0 lead in their best-of-five series.

Andrew Nicholson put up 34 points, 16 rebounds, one assist, and two steals for the Dragons, who can sweep the series in Game 3 also at the PhilSports Arena on Sunday.

Kobey Lam, the hero in Game 1 on Wednesday, added 25 points on 10-for-13 field goals, five rebounds, and four assists.

June Mar Fajardo's monster game, where he had 35 points on 15-of-20 field goals, 10 rebounds, one assist, and one block wasn't enough to keep the Beermen from entering a 0-2 hole.

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