The San Miguel Beermen dropped a huge 15-0 bomb in the third quarter to thump the slumping Alaska Aces, 109-97, in the Oppo PBA Commissioner’s Cup Saturday at Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Alex Cabagnot led the Beermen with 25 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals while knocking down five triples as San Miguel (7-2) dealt Alaska (4-6) its sixth consecutive defeat.
With the win, the Beermen moved up to a share of second place with Ginebra as the race to twice-to-beat tightens.
Charles Rhodes tallied 24 points and 10 boards, Marcio Lassiter had 19 markers, Chris Ross put up a double-double of 18 points and 10 dimes, and Arwind Santos chipped in 10 points to complete the deadly San Miguel offensive attack.
Reigning three-peat MVP June Mar Fajardo, who was under the weather, was limited to five points and six boards as as he came off the bench.
The Aces played without star Calvin Abueva and starting guard JVee Casio due to injuries. But despite their absence, Alaska came back from a 10-point deficit in the second frame and made it just a three-point game, 53-50, at the half.
The decimated Aces looked determined to pull off an upset as they began the second half with a 7-0 run.
San Miguel woke up, scoring 15 unanswered points ignited by three triples. That run helped the Beermen establish a commanding 84-68 lead entering the final frame which they maintained for the rest of the way.
With the defeat, the Aces, who got off to a 4-0 start to the conference, are now in danger of being eliminated. They need to secure a win over No.1 seed Star Hotshots in their last assignment to secure a quarterfinal berth.
