Beermen nail 11th straight, repulse Slammers

The San Miguel Beermen, using a blistering start and a strong finish, overcame a gutsy stand by the Thailand Slammers to pull off a 78-70 decision for their 11th straight victory Wednesday night at Nimibutr Stadium in Thailand.

Veteran center Asi Taulava again flashed vintage form with 18 points, while Leo Avenido tallied 15 for the Beermen, who improved to 14-3 overall going into their game against the Saigon Heat tomorrow at Ynares Sports Arena.

Taulava joined forces with Paolo Hubalde in San Miguel’s endgame spurt that enabled the Beermen to keep the league’s longest winning streak alive.

Making a strong case for the league’s top individual award, Taulava made eight of 13 shots and also finished with six rebounds and five assists.

The loss put the Slammers’ hopes of reaching the playoffs in jeopardy after they dropped to 6-12.

The Beermen nearly wasted a terrific start that saw them grab a 16-point buffer going into the second period. Avenido starred in the early uprising with three triples in the first period.

But the Slammers came out of a halftime break with renewed vigor, taking a 53-46 lead heading into the final period, behind the hot shooting Christien Charles and Darongpan Apiromvilaichai. Cedelf P. Tupas

The scores:

SAN MIGUEL BEER 78—Taulava 18, Avenido 15, Hubalde 14, B. Williams 11, Acuna 10, J. Williams 6, Rizada 2, Thiele 2.

THAILAND 70—Charles 16, Apiromvilaichai 12, Sekteera 9, Baguion 9, Klahan 8, Dasom 6, Brannon 4, Samerjai 3, Tongsri 3.

Quarters: 28-12, 36-33, 46-53, 78-70