The disparity between the San Miguel Beermen and the rest of the league continues to show
The upstart Blackwater Elite proved to be no match for the two-time defending PBA Philippine Cup champions as the Beermen notched a 118-93 wire-to-wire win for their fifth straight victory, Friday evening at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
San Miguel maintained their hold on the top spot with a 6-1 record, while the Blackwater, who have lost two straight games, fall to 4-4. Moreover, the win gave the Beermen the first playoff spot for the quarterfinals.
“From the start, ang goal naman namin is to get a top two spot. Kung titignan mo 1-0 ka na niyan sa quarterfinals,” San Miguel head coach Leo Austria remarked about gaining the playoff spot.
Reigning MVP June Mar Fajardo finished the game with 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting and eight rebounds. Fellow big man Gabby Espinas added his personal best 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting.
“I think this is a good year for us because we had a good start. Blackwater is a team you cannot take for granted, but we have June Mar who can dominate,” Austria added.
Behind the two big men, San Miguel were able to bully the paint as the two scored at will, combining for 25 first-half points. The backcourt of Marcio Lassiter and Alex Cabagnot clicked as well to help give San Miguel an imposing 27-point lead before the game entered the break.
Cabagnot and Lassiter chipped in 14 markers apiece, knocking down six of the nine triples of the Beermen. Chris Ross continued to provide the intangibles for San Miguel, grabbing nine rebounds, dishing out 11 assists, and stealing the ball four times.
“Pagpasok nung second stringer, na-provide niya yung firepower. Without June Mar, we have Gabby at the post,” the two-time champion mentor said about Espinas.
The San Miguel ballooned to a game-high 29 points early in the third frame as the Elite quickly found themselves foul trouble. Struggles from the foul stripe compounded the problem for Blackwater, who knocked down just seven of their 17 free throw attempts.
Behind the troika of Roi Sumang, Riel Cervantes, and Raymond Aguilar, Blackwater were able to slowly chip into the lead in the final frame. A 9-0 run by the Elite, headed by Sumang, sliced the lead to just 11, 101-90, with 4:23 remaining. However, Austria quickly plugged in his starters to restore order.
San Miguel out-rebounded Blackwater, 60 to 53, leading to a 16-7 advantage in second chance points. In addition, the Beermen were an excellent 47 percent from the field.
Art Dela Cruz led Blackwater with 16 points and nine rebounds. John Pinto, who shot just 1-of-6 from the stripe, flirted with a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. Rookie Mac Belo struggled for the entire game, going just 1-of-5 from the field for four points.
The San Miguel Beermen (6-1) look to continue their surge when they face Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (3-3) on Sunday, January 8 at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum. On the other hand, the Blackwater Elite (4-4) hope to end their funk tas they face the Alaska Aces on Sunday, January 15, at the same venue.
The Scores:
San Miguel (118) – Fajardo 25, Espinas 22, Cabagnot 14, Lassiter 14, Santos 8, Reyes 8, Tubid 8, Van Opstal 6, Ross 4, Garcia 4, Agovida 3, Heruela 2, McCarthy 0, Mabulac 0.
Blackwater (93) – Dela Cruz 16, Aguilar 15, Pinto 12, Sumang 11, Buenafe 10, Forrester 7, Sena 6, Cervantes 4, Pascual 4, Belo 4, Miranda 2, Melano 2, Ababou 0, Banal 0.
Quarterscores: 37-21, 65-40, 91-66, 118-93
