Two crowd favorites took the Ninoy Aquino Stadium court on Friday facing different opponents as the PBA Commissioner’s Cup continued to heat up. One of them got an early Christmas present while the other gifted their coach a birthday gift win. Here is a recap of Friday’s games:
San Miguel Handles Terrafirma as Leo Austria Reinstated as Coach
Returning head coach Leo Austria got a rousing welcome on Friday as the San Miguel Beermen handled the Terrafirma Dyip, 106-88, to give the beloved tactician the victory.
Import Torren Jones and eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo typified San Miguel’s dominance, with Jones finishing with 24 points and 13 boards and Fajardo putting up 21 points, 19 rebounds, and 7 assists. CJay Perez and Juami Tiongson added 16 and 12, respectively.
The Dyip, who were down by only seven, 73-66, were led by import Brandon Edwards’s 18 points and 18 boards. Mark Nonoy added 14 for Terrafirma, who just did not have enough to withstand the Beermen’s fourth-quarter barrage.
San Miguel, now 2-2, returns to action this Sunday against the Blackwater Bossing at Ynares Center. Terrafirma, still winless at 0-5 takes on Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on December 18 at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Scores:
- San Miguel (106) – Jones 24, Fajardo 21, Perez 16, Tiongson 12, Trollano 10, Lassiter 6, Rosales 6, Brondial 4, Tautuaa 4, Cahilig 3
- Terrafirma (88) – Edwards 18, Nonoy 14, Manuel 12, Sangalang 11, Pringle 11, Melecio 7, Catapusan 6, Hanapi 5, Ferrer 4
Ginebra Waylays Phoenix with Strong Second Half
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel turned a tight first half into a laugher in the end, dominating the Phoenix Fuel Masters after intermission en route to a 94-72 win.
Phoenix actually closed out the first 24 minutes on top, 48-47, on a buzzer-beating triple by Raffy Verano. But Ginebra began asserting its will in the third, outscoring the Fuel Masters 24-17 to nudge ahead after three, 71-65. The crowd darlings took control in the fourth, clamping down Phoenix to seven measly points while putting up 23 more.
Scottie Thompson topscored for Ginebra with 17 points to go along with 6 rebounds, while Japeth Aguilar and Troy Rosario added 16 and 14, respectively. Justin Brownlee had 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists in just 32 minutes. Phoenix got 20 points and 15 boards from import Donovan Smith.
Ginebra, now 2-0, jumps back to action this Sunday against Hong Kong Eastern at Ynares Center. Phoenix, who fell to 0-4, shoots for its first win on December 17 when it takes on the Northport Batang Pier at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Scores:
- Barangay Ginebra (94) – Thompson 17, J. Aguilar 16, Rosario 14, Abarrientos 12, Brownlee 10, Cu 8, Holt 5, Ahanmisi 5, Pinto 5, Mariano 2
- Phoenix (72) – Smith 20, Tuffin 15, Perkins 10, Tio 7, Ballungay 7, Rivero 4, Manganti 4, Verano 3, Salado 2
PBA Commissioner’s Cup Continues
Next on tap in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup is a Sunday double-header at Ynares Center, where San Miguel will take on Blackwater and Ginebra goes up against Eastern.
