Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 17) — The San Miguel Beermen opened up the 43rd Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) season with a resounding win over the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 104-96, in the Philippine Cup on Sunday at the Big Dome.
The Beermen are looking to defend the Philippine Cup crown, which they have won for three years straight, but have had a sub-par training camp before the season opener.
“It think this is the worst off-season we’ve had,“ San Miguel head coach Leo Austria said after the game.
But despite the poor run-up, the Beermen were firing on all cylinders.
Reigning MVP June Mar Fajardo led the game with 23 markers, while San Miguel teammates Alex Cabagnot and Marcio Lassiter chipped in with 22 and 20, respectively.
The rest of the San Miguel starters, Chris Ross and Arwind Santos, finished in double figures as well.
After momentarily trailing, 31-30, at the 7:07 mark of the second frame, the Beermen showcased their dominance over the Fuel Masters.
San Miguel even extended their lead to double figures, 47-37, before the halftime break, and eventually built up a decisive 103-94 advantage in the payoff period.
A Jeff Chan triple at the 6:28 mark of the payoff period got Phoenix within 85-80, but that was as close as they would come to toppling the Beermen.
Chan paced Phoenix with 18 points through 4/5 shooting from the beyond the arc.
The San Miguel Beermen aim to continue their winning momentum on Wednesday as they take on the Meralco Bolts at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, while the Phoenix Fuel Masters look to notch their first win against the KIA Picanto in the match prior.
