San Miguel Beermen’s CJ Perez in the PBA Philippine Cup. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines–San Miguel turned in a cutthroat effort in the third period on Friday night to make up for a shaky first half, take the fight out of Converge and eventually pull out a 112-103 victory to stay untouched in the PBA Philippine Cup.
The Beermen scored 51 points in that quarter to tighten their grip on first place in the race and gain a head of steam going into the second half of the elimination phase.
“As soon as we gathered ourselves, we started playing San Miguel basketball,” said head coach Jorge Gallent on the heels of a victory at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City that had the defending champions staying perfect after six outings.
READ: PBA: San Miguel, Ginebra in crucial clash for top two drive
CJ Perez had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Marcio Lassiter and Don Trollano added 19 points each. Terrence Romeo also delivered off the bench with 18 points as the powerhouse club braced for a quick turnaround this Sunday, where they battle skidding NorthPort.
Alec Stockton reset his career-high with 36 points. Justine Arana had 18 more in the losing effort as the two youngsters continued to be the silver lining for a club that has remained winless this tournament.
The FiberXers have dropped seven matches in the centerpiece tournament, their chances of advancing to the playoffs even more bleak now.
Converge plays Meralco next.