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MANILA, Philippines — Defending champion San Miguel Beer pulled away in the second quarter en route to an 81-66 win over Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Philippine Cup Sunday night at AUF Sports Arena & Cultural Center in Angeles, Pampanga.
The Beermen zoomed to a 19-point lead in the second period after a tight opening quarter and never looked back for a masterful win over the top-seeded Gin Kings.
Moala Tautuaa muscled his way to an efficient 20-point night that went with 11 rebounds and a block.
The 6-foot-8 big man had a field day, missing just four of his 12 attempts on the floor.
Guard Chris Ross also notched a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds with four assists and four steals to boot as the Beermen improved to 6-4 and created a four-way tie in fourth place.
The closest the Gin Kings came in the second half was within nine, 57-66, early in the final frame, but the Beermen were quick to restore order as Ross and Tatuaa made timely baskets to douse any hopes of a comeback.
Scottie Thompson flirted with a triple-double, collecting 12 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists, but Ginebra couldn’t get much production from its other usual hitters with Stanley Pringle and LA Tenorio struggling.
The Gin Kings had their three-game winning snapped as they settled into a first-place tie with TNT at 7-3.