MANILA, Philippines – San Miguel Beer opened with a 9-0 assault before seemingly losing focus briefly but it went back to serious business just as quickly to blast Powerade, 119-94, in a PBA Philippine Cup road game at the Panabo City MPTCS Center in Davao del Norte last night.
The Beermen, coming off a close win over the Barangay Ginebra Kings, unleashed fiery runs in the last three quarters en route to the biggest victory by any team in the season thus far.
SMB posted its first back-to-back wins in the season and, in the process, drew level with Alaska Milk and Talk n Text atop the leader board with identical 3-1 win-loss cards.
Unable to find solution to San Miguel’s torrid attack, Powerade slipped to fourth place in a tie with Barangay Ginebra and Rain or Shine at 2-2.
Ginebra and Rain or Shine try to improve their records as they take on separate opponents at the resumption of play at the Araneta Coliseum today.
The Elasto Painters battle the Meralco Bolts B-Boys at 4 p.m. then the Kings clash with the B-MEG Derby Ace Llamados at 6:30 p.m.
Dondon Hontiveros sizzled with 27 points while Arwind Santos sparkled with 25, leading the Beermen to their 25-point rout of the Tigers in the match serving as the third leg of the Phoenix Fuel PBA on Tour.
Lordy Tugade, Denok Miranda and Mick Pennisi added at least 11 points each for the Beermen who left nothing to chance against the Tigers, one of two teams which had winning head-to-head records versus SMB last season.
The Tigers won three of four matches with the Beermen in the 2009-2010 PBA wars.
The Beermen built a 51-39 halftime lead and refused to relax, thus surpassing the season’s previous biggest winning margin of 24 points.
The Beermen began with a 9-0 blitz and closed out with a 17-5 attack as they led by 12 at the turn.
The opening quarter belonged to the Tigers who wiped out an early 0-9 deficit and surged ahead at 25-21 behind the guns of Renren Ritualo, Paolo Mendoza and Gary David.
The Tigers were still ahead at 32-29 when Santos, Miranda and Alex Cabagnot got the Beermen on the run, racing ahead at 42-34.
It was all-SMB show from there on.