Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — San Miguel Beermen played sans key players on Sunday (March 27).
But it hardly mattered, as the Beermen still made mince meat of the Star Hotshots, 117-98, in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
June Mar Fajardo and Ronald Tubid were shelved with injuries, while Arwind Santos is still mourning the death of his mother.
But the Beermen didn’t need their help in wreaking havoc on the Hotshots, whose three-game winning streak was put to a screeching halt. Star is still mired in the middle of the standings with a pedestrian 4-5 win-loss record.
Without them, import Tyler Wilkerson heated up and unleashed 44 points to go with 17 rebounds and two assists. Marcio Lassiter also heated up and scored 25 markers.
The two combined for 14 three-pointers. In fact, Wilkerson dropped three triples inside the final five minutes on their way to their fifth win in seven outings.
Meanwhile, Star was led by Ricardo Ratliffe’s 33 markers.
