MANILA, Philippines – San Miguel let loose at home and hammered out a whopping 94-59 victory over visiting Bangkok squad Saturday night in the 2012 Asean Basketball League at the Ynares Sports Center in Pasig City.
Off a loss over the hands of Singapore on the road, the newcomer Beermen fired on all cylinders, hihglighted by a couple of impressive dunks, versus the Cobras for their third victory.
Import Doug Thomas led the scoring with 14 points and 11 boards – but the locals like Kelvin Dela Pena, Leo Avenido and RJ Rizada also shone brightly and did work for San Miguel.
Veteran guard Leo Avenido had 14 points, Rizada had 13 while Dela Pena scored 12 points – all came from beyond the arch, including San Miguel’s final basket.
The Beermen sustained the energy and the momentum, on both ends of the floor, even in the second half and continued torching Bangkok from the paint and the outside.
Back-to-back baskets by Rizada and Junmar Fajardo to start the third quarter opened the floodgates for San Miguel, and the errant Bangkok were unable to stop the bleeding since then.
The Cobras, mentored by Joe Bryant – father of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant – still trying to figure out the right combination and succumbed to their loss of the season.
Diminutive point guard Marvin Cruz, a former star for the UP Fighting Maroons in the UAAP, playing for Bangkok as an import, registered a team-best 17 points.