San Miguel Beer blasted the hype in the June Mar Fajardo-Greg Slaughter matchup and sent Barangay Ginebra crashing back to reality in a way only the Beermen can.
Arwind Santos scored 24 points, Fajardo turned in more than his usual numbers and the Beermen got three others scoring in twin digits for a 100-82 rout of the Gin Kings last night that gave them the Smart Bro-PBA Philippine Cup lead at PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
“I wasn’t expecting this (lopsided result),” San Miguel coach Leo Austria said in Filipino. “I know that they (Kings) prepared long and hard for us. But the players, especially June Mar, were up to it. Maybe because of the hype (of the matchup with Slaughter).”
San Miguel didn’t go to Fajardo the entire night and went about their usual business by breaking away in the third period on the way to breaking out of a five-team deadlock at the top with their fourth win in five matches.
Ginebra, which had Slaughter averaging almost 28 points and a shade under 20 rebounds before tip-off, trailed by as large as 23 points before taking a third loss in four games. The Kings displayed none of the form that they showed in a 93-92 nipping of Alaska in Dubai in the second half.
“I told him (Fajardo) before the game that this is not your fight,” Austria said. “It’s the fight of your team and that your strength is the strength of your teammates. I assured him that his teammates will be there to help.”
Ronald Tubid, Marcio Lassiter and Chris Ross combined for another 38 points and the San Miguel defense shut down the supporting cast of Slaughter and the second tower of Ginebra, Japeth Aguilar, with LA Tenorio, Mark Caguioa and Joe Devance shooting just a total of 14 points.
Fajardo shot 22 points and had 14 rebounds in announcing his readiness for a run at a third straight MVP after Slaughter had paced both departments coming into the game.
Slaughter finished with 21 points, scoring the bulk of his total in the middle two periods. He added just 11 rebounds this time.
As a team, Ginebra finished with a 0-for-12 clip from beyond three-point range, the worst in franchise history. The Kings, with all their consistent outside gunners, have now made just 14 triples in their last four games, the same total San Miguel pelted them with Sunday night.
Incidentally, Ginebra has now missed its last 23 tries from beyond the arc, the woeful mark starting in the second quarter of that controversial one-point win over Alaska where Slaughter nailed the marginal free throws off a questionable foul on Nonoy Baclao.
Barako Bull climbed to the middle of the pack earlier after surviving Gary David’s 40 points for a 108-106 decision of Meralco.
Ginebra’s Greg Slaughter loses possession while pivoting off San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo in last night’s game at Philsports Arena. AUGUST DELA CRUZ/INQUIRER
Josh Urbiztondo scored 13 of his 24 points in the fourth period and RR Garcia had all of his 18 in the first three as the guards-heavy Energy rose to 2-2 and kept the Bolts as the only winless side in the 12-team field.
David fired 14 of his total in the fourth period, including a triple with under 30 seconds left for what turned out to be the final score.
“This was a character game for us,” Barako Bull coach Koy Banal told reporters after his wards took care of the ball and committed just eight turnovers to Meralco’s 19.
The scores:
First Game
BARAKO 108—Urbiztondo 24, Garcia 18, Wilson 17, Monfort 12, Intal 9, Cruz 8, Pennisi 6, Baracael 5, Lanete 3, Caperal 2, Miranda 2, Sorongon 2, Fortuna 0.
MERALCO 106—David 40, Newsome 12, Hugnatan 10, Amer 9, Alapag 7, Nabong 7, Caram 6, Dillinger 5, Al-Hussaini 4, Faundo 4, Sedurifa 2, Ferriols 0, Hodge 0.
Quarters: 32-23, 56-52, 79-82, 108-106
Second Game
SAN MIGUEL 100—Santos 24, Fajardo 22, Tubid 15, Lassiter 13, Ross 10, Cabagnot 8, Arana 6, Espinas 2, De Ocampo 0, Heruela 0, Lutz 0, Reyes 0.
GINEBRA 82—Aguilar 21, Slaughter 21, Ellis 11, Caguioa 8, Mercado 7, Tenorio 4, Brondial 2, Devance 2, Helterbrand 2, Salva 2, Thompson 2, Marcelo 0, Mariano 0, Villamor 0.
Quarters: 23-23, 47-43, 73-60, 100-82