By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The San Miguel Beermen’s quest for a magical undefeated season in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup is still alive after blasting the Blackwater Bossing franchise, 124-109, on May 1, 2024, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
With the lopsided victory, the San Miguel squad just racked its 10th consecutive win and remained as the only undefeated team in the conference.
It was a wire-to-wire victory for the Beermen as the hoopers in red never trailed from the tip off until the final buzzer sounded.
San Miguel’s signature blitzing offense was immediately evident in the first 12 minutes of action as they established an eight-point lead heading into the second quarter.
Despite an early shooting exhibition from the Blackwater guards at the start of the second canto, San Miguel quickly retaliated and protected their lead to gain more boost when the second half kicked off.
It was then all San Miguel in the second half as their balanced offensive attack torched Blackwater, picking them apart in the pick-and-roll while also imposing their will down the block.
Blackwater tried to claw their way back in the fourth with only seven minutes left after hosting a mini-offensive run but June Mar Fajardo’s consecutive buckets in the paint spoiled their attempt and officially shut their door.
For the second straight time, superstar shooting guard CJ Perez top-scored the Beermen with 26 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
Backstopping Perez’s efficient shooting performance was Don Trollano who contributed 25 markers built from a 6/7 shooting from the three-point range.
Meanwhile, PBA’s only six-time MVP Fajardo continued his double-double streak and capped off the win with 21 points and 16 rebounds.
San Miguel will have the chance to wrap up the regular season with an 11-0 record if they win their last game on May 4, 2024, against the Meralco Bolts.
