SAN Miguel cruised to a lopsided 135-115 win over Terrafirma on Wednesday to secure a Top 4 berth and twice-to-beat incentive heading to the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
CJ Perez finished with a game-high 26 points, Jeron Teng scored 11 of his 15 in the second quarter, and nine-time MVP June Mar Fajardo recorded his second triple-double this season with 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in the win that tied the Beermen anew with Rain or Shine on top of the standings.
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Both San Miguel and Rain or Shine have similar 8-2 records.
“That’s a welcome development for us since at the start of the conference that has been our goal,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria of the Beermen earning the quarterfinals bonus.
Jericho Cruz added 17, Don Trollano 14, while Mo Tautuaa (12) and JM Calma (11) also finished in double figures for the Beermen, who are currently on an eight-game winning run after starting the conference at 0-2.
Perez poured 17 points in the third quarter alone to spark San Miguel's breakaway that saw the defending champions lead by as many as 24 points.
The Beermen will now aim to finish as the top-seeded team as they play Meralco in their final game in the eliminations on Friday.
San Miguel holds the tiebreaker in case it ended up still tied with Rain or Shine at the end of the eliminations, having beaten the Elasto Painters in their lone meeting this conference, 111-93.
Meanwhile, Terrafirma ended its campaign with a 1-10 including nine straight losses.
The setback spoiled Maverick Ahanmisi's best game in a Dyip uniform after finishing with a team-high 20 points.
The scores
San Miguel (135) – Perez 26, Cruz 17, Teng 15, Trollano 14, Tautuaa 12, Calma 11, Fajardo 10, Lassiter 8, Miller 6, Tiongson 6, Cahilig 3, Brondial 2, Mantua 2, Ross 1.
Terrafirma (115) – M. Ahanmisi 20, Hernandez 19, J Ahanmisi 16, Sangalang 14, Nonoy 11, Olivario 9, Zaldivar 8, Rivero 6, Bravo 6, Mariano 6, Catapusan 0, Paraiso 0, Eriobu 0.
Quarterscores: 26-18; 52-46; 95-80; 135-115.
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