Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — It was a perfect start for the San Miguel Beermen in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup Finals.
San Miguel demolished Barangay Ginebra 109-82, in Game 1 of their best-of-seven championship series on Friday evening at the Mall of Asia Arena.
JuneMar Fajardo and Chris Ross paced San Miguel with 17 markers each.
The first quarter couldn’t end any sooner for the Gin Kings, who immediately fell into a 35-12 hole.
The Beermen were unstoppable from the start, as Ginebra struggled to find any answers and watched helplessly as they saw the deficit widen to as much as 60-33 before the halftime break.
Chris Ellis led Ginebra with 13 points.
After the game, San Miguel head coach Leo Austria said he was surprised with how the game played out.
“I really don’t know what happened, because I didn’t expect this kind of game,” Austria said. “I’m sure Game 2 they will come out stronger.”
The Gin Kings get the chance to bounce back in Game 2 at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena on Sunday evening.
