The San Miguel Beermen put the hammer down on the GlobalPort Batang Pier in the second quarter and outscored them by 23 points to push them to a comfortable 95-69 victory in the PBA Philippine Cup last night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Beermen were only ahead by a scant 21-17 margin when they suddenly found their rhythm, hitting shots from all over the field to fuel a 35-12 rampage in the second quarter which ended with San Miguel on top, 56-29.
Former league MVP Arwind Santos nearly outgunned the Batang Pier all by his lonesome during that stretch, where he piled on 11 of his 19 points.
Reigning MVP and Cebuano behemoth June Mar Fajardo continued to raise his stock by scoring yet another double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Beermen to their seventh win in eight games and into a tie with the idle leader Alaska Aces.
Guards Chris Ross, Ronald Tubid and Chris Lutz all had solid showings and combined for a total of 34 points.
GlobalPort’s three-headed guard attack of Stanley Pringle, Alex Cabagnot and Terrence Romeo failed to deliver the goods as they combined for a mere 28 points.