Santos’ double-double leads Petron Blaze past Shopinas.com

MANILA, Philippines—Petron Blaze chalked up its third victory after putting away still winless Shopinas.com, 98-87, Sunday in the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup.

Last conference’s finals MVP Arwind Santos made his presence felt on both ends as he scored 16 points and plucked 21 rebounds while Denok Miranda topscored with 18 markers.

Rookie Chris Lutz, a national team standout, continued his consistent showing since his debut by putting up 17 points along with four rebounds and two steals.

The Boosters, whose record is still spotless early in the conference, created separation as early in the game, which ballooned to as big as 20 points in the payoff period.

Petron nailed five unanswered points courtesy of Joseph Yeo and Alex Cabagnot for a 93-73 advantage with over six minutes left to play.

The Clickers, meanwhile, were left searching for that first win after three starts.

Former UST Growling Tigers stalwart Jojo Duncil, this time, led Shopinas.com with 22 points while four others posted double-digit outputs, but those weren’t enough to push past the Governors Cup champion.