By ADRIAN STEWART CO
The San Miguel Beermen rolled to their third victory in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup after a 116-102 domination of the Phoenix Fuel Masters at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Easter Sunday, March 31.
Jaymar Perez finished with 32 points on 4-of-8 three-point shooting for the defending champion Beermen, which seized the solo first place in the standings with a 3-0 record.
Ilonggo Jericho Cruz added 17 markers, Terrence Romeo and Celedonio Trollano had 16 and 10, respectively, while June Mar Fajardo tallied 13 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
The Beermen were dominant from the start, as they led by as much as 20 points before the Fuel Masters tried to make a run to cut the deficit to 96-104.
However, Perez and Cruz engineered a searing 12-2 finishing run late in the final quarter that gave the Beermen a 116-98 advantage, and they never looked back.
Rodolfo Alejandro, Jr. and Matthew Daves finished with 13 points apiece. Javee Mocon and Jason Perkins netted 12 and 11, respectively, while Kent Salado and Ricci Rivero had 10 each for Phoenix (1-4).
Meanwhile, the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings (3-1) bounced back from a harrowing defeat after an 87-77 victory over the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots (1-4).
Down 47-53 midway through the third set, the Gin Kings turned things around behind conversions from Jamie Malonzo, Japeth Aguilar and LA Tenorio to take a 60-53 advantage.
The Gin Kings went on with their momentum in the fourth quarter behind connections from Nard John Pinto and Stanley Pringle, as the lead grew to its biggest at 87-75 on back-to-back hits by Christian Standhardinger.
Pringle led the way with 17 points. Aguilar and Maverick Ahanmisi added 16 markers apiece, while Malonzo and Standhardinger had 11 each for the Gin Kings, which recovered from a 93-71 defeat to the Meralco Bolts prior to the PBA All-Star break./ASC, WDJ
SAN MIGUEL 116 — Perez 32, Cruz 17, Romeo 16, Fajardo 13, Trollano 10, Tautuaa 8, Lassiter 6, Brondial 6, Manuel 4, Enciso 3, Teng 1, Ross 0.
PHOENIX 102 — Alejandro 13, Daves 13, Mocon 12, Perkins 11, Salado 10, Rivero 10, Tuffin 9, Muyang 6, Jazul 5, Verano 5, Manganti 4, Camacho 2, Lalata 2, Garcia 0.
Quarterscores: 27-23, 49-45, 86-75, 116-102.