The clash between the two sister teams was billed as the battle of Cebuano giants Junemar Fajardo and Greg Slaughter, but it was Season 38 MVP Arwind Santos who stole the show.
The San Miguel Beermen blasted the Barangay Ginebra Kings, 100-82, in the Smart Bro PBA Philippine Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City early Sunday evening.
Chris Ellis and Japeth Aguilar gave Ginebra a 0-4 start, which was extended to 7-12 off baskets from Mark Caguioa, Aguilar, and Ellis. However, San Miguel’s veterans Ronald Tubid, Alex Cabagnot, and Arwind Santos gifted the Beermen their first taste of the lead at 14-12. Santos then gave San Miguel a 21-16 edge, but five straight points from Slaughter and Aguilar equalized the ballgame 21-all. A Santos put-back and free throws from Aguilar ended the first quarter at 23-23.
San Miguel started to exert themselves in the game come the second quarter. Five consecutive points from Santos granted the Beermen a 39-31 lead. LA Tenorio cut the deficit to 36-41, but a Santos three raised San Miguel’s lead to 47-38. Slaughter left Ginebra down by four at halftime, courtesy of five straight markers. San Miguel led Ginebra 47-43 at the break.
Lassiter, Tubid, and Fajardo delivered a 7-0 run at the beginning to the third quarter to widen San Miguel’s lead to 54-46. Ginebra fought back with points from Slaughter, Aguilar and Caguioa but two straight threes from Lassiter allowed San Miguel to prolong their dominance 68-54. Another three from Chris Ross made Ginebra’s problems worse. Not even an Aguilar dunk at the end raised the morale of Ginebra. San Miguel’s strong performance awarded them a huge 73-60 lead into the fourth quarter.
Ryan Arana ended any hopes of a Ginebra comeback, with his four points handing San Miguel a commanding 81-64 gap over the Gin Kings. Caguioa chopped San Miguel’s lead to twelve points but a 7-0 spurt by Chris Ross, Santos, Cabagnot, and Fajardo provided the Beermen with enough room at 90-71. Fajardo scored a jumper to give San Miguel their biggest lead of the game 96-76 and the Beermen eventually won 100-82.
Santos led all scorers with his 24 points and 6 rebounds. Fajardo and Tubid made 22 and 15 points respectively for the Beermen. Ginebra’s twin towers Slaughter and Aguilar scored 21 each, with Ellis following at 11.
The result gave San Miguel their fourth win of the season. The Beermen’s 4-1 record puts them at the top of the standings. On the other hand, Ginebra experienced their third loss of the season and remain grounded at ninth.
For Ginebra coach Tim Cone, much work is needed if he is to make Ginebra the ruthless winning machine their fans feel they should be.
Up next for San Miguel is Barako Bull on November 22, 2015 at the Ynares Center Antipolo, while Ginebra shall face the winless Meralco Bolts on November 17, 2015 in Binan, Laguna.
The Scores:
San Miguel (100) – Santos 24, Fajardo 22, Tubid 15, Lassiter 13, Ross 10, Cabagnot 8, Arana 6, Espinas 2, De Ocampo 0, Heruela 0, Lutz 0, Reyes 0.
Ginebra (82) – Aguilar 21, Slaughter 21, Ellis 11, Caguioa 8, Mercado 7, Tenorio 4, Brondial 2, Devance 2, Helterbrand 2, Salva 2, Thompson 2, Marcelo 0, Mariano 0, Villamor 0.
Quarterscores: 23-23, 47-43, 73-60, 100-82.
