COMING out with a renewed vigor under a new coach and an old name that carries a long, winning tradition, San Miguel Beer (formerly Petron) came out smoking from the second period onwards to crush Meralco, 94-76, to kick off its PBA Commissioner’s Cup campaign in a high note Friday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. Reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) Arwind Santos, backup big man Doug Kramer, starting for the injured June Mar Fajardo, and Marcio Lassiter, led the Beermen’s auspicious conference debut as they repeatedly abused the anemic interior defense of the Bolts. Determined to leave behind its trail of heartbreak under its previous name Petron, San Miguel played with a lot of energy and flare as against a lackluster Meralco side that is coming off a ninth place finish in the season-opening Philippine Cup. The Beermen made their move in the second period when they turned what was once a tight 20-all contest to an 11-point lead at the half. Santos, Kramer, and Lassiter kept stroking from inside and outside, while Chris Lutz’s three-point shot in front of the Beermen’s bench gave them their biggest lead of 80-60 midway in the final period. “Talagang we need this win to build up our confidence. Siyempre, there’s a lot of pressure on us,” said Biiboy Ravanes after notching his first win right in his coaching debut. American coach Todd Purves, who is taking a more active role in the bench, said they are pleased to see the effort of the locals and even import Josh Boone, who is under extreme pressure to deliver after online reports floated that this would be his first and last game with the team.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 12:49:24 +0000
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