Beermen cruise past Giant Pandas for second straight win

San Miguel Beer continued its surge in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Governors’ Cup, overpowering Macau, 131-79, to extend its winning streak to two games on Saturday at the Ynares Center II in Montalban, Rizal.

The contest was delayed twice early in the first quarter because of a roof leak caused by the heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon. However, after league officials decided to continue the game, the Beermen quickly took control and turned the matchup into a one-sided affair.

San Miguel closed the opening period with a 15-point advantage before exploding for 45 points in the second quarter to build an 80-37 halftime lead.

The Beermen continued their offensive onslaught after the break, with Don Trollano’s three-pointer extending the lead beyond 50 points at 101-50 with 2:57 remaining in the third quarter.

From there, San Miguel cruised to the finish line and improved to 6-2 in Group A, moving into second place behind league-leading NLEX (6-1).

"We're so glad na natapos 'yung game in spite of the drops dahil sa rain," said head coach Leo Austria. "We're glad natapos ito in a nice way for us."

George King led San Miguel with 19 points, while Trollano added 17 points and six rebounds. Jericho Cruz contributed 14 points and five assists, while Jeron Teng finished with 13 points, five rebounds, and four assists in just 24 minutes.

Marcio Lassiter and JM Calma chipped in 12 points each as six Beermen players reached double figures.

Austria highlighted San Miguel’s balanced production as one of the biggest takeaways from the victory.

"One thing I discovered again, katulad nung last game (against Converge), is our balanced scoring," Austria said. "Mas malaki rin iniscore ng bench namin (84) kaysa sa starters namin, and that's what we've been projecting."

The Beermen will look to extend their winning streak to three games when they face Titan Ultra on Wednesday, August 12, in Antipolo.

Macau dropped to 2-6 despite Kobey Lam’s 24-point performance.