SMB STAYS CLEAN Beermen too much for Bossing
Jericho Cruz and Cameron Clark starred for San Miguel Beer as it flexed its full might anew and dealt Blackwater a 105-86 beating in the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup at the PhilSports Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
The two took turns in the first half onslaught that allowed the Beermen to establish a sizable margin which proved to be enough to even cushion a second half run from the Bossing.
It was Clark who did the work first for SMB, dropping 10 of his 20 points in the first quarter before Cruz followed suit and took the mantle from Clark, also scattering 10 of his 22 points in the second period where the Beermen tore the game wide open.
San Miguel dominated Blackwater in that span, exploding for 30 points with Cruz, June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez conspiring for a blistering 16-0 blast that turned an already comfortable 14-point lead, 47-33, into a massive 30-point advantage, 63-33 late in the first half.
The Beermen also clamped down on the defensive end during that telling run, limiting Blackwater to just 11 points during that stretch.
“The players are playing well and they are defending well. That’s why I think our offense is going up also because of our defense. In our motto we’re just bringing in our defense to go to our offense. It's the defense triggering our offense,” said head coach Jorge Gallent.
Fajardo posted a double-double of 17 points and 16 rebounds while Perez added 14 points, six rebounds and six assists. Marcio Lassiter also contributed 13 points spiked by three triples for SMB which now rose to a 2-0 record in the standings.
The heat of the MVP race between Fajardo and Scottie Thompson could also spill to the PBA All-Star festivities in Passi City, Iloilo set March 9-12.
Both the MVP frontrunners emerged as the top two players leading in the fan poll after the first voting returns released by the league on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
Fajardo leads the selection with 37,915 votes, closely followed by Thompson with 37,759 votes.