 |
| CJ Perez exploded for San Miguel in the PBA 50th anniversary retro game. PBA Images |
MANILA—San Miguel got the better of Meralco in a special rematch of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday night.
To celebrate the league's 50th anniversary, both teams got to wear throwback jerseys, which reminded the fans of their glorious basketball history.
In the end, though, the Beermen, bringing back their 1982 jerseys, prevailed over the Reddy Kilowatts, er, Bolts, who went back to orange for one night only, 110-98.
SMB bounced back mightily in the fourth quarter after Meralco threatened a comeback in the third quarter, finishing the game off by outscoring its opponent, 33-24.
CJ Perez led the Beermen, who tied sister team Magnolia Hotshots at the top of the standings at 2-0, with 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
June Mar Fajardo added 28 points, going 12-for-15 from the field, 10 rebounds, four assists, and one block.
Both SMB and Magnolia will face off next Wednesday to determine which team will enter the Holy Week break still at number one.
Chris Newsome led Meralco, which dropped to 2-1, with 27 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.
The Scores:
SAN MIGUEL 110–Perez 29, Fajardo 28, Teng 11, Brondial 9, Lassiter 8, Tiongson 7, Rosales 7, Tautuaa 6, Trollano 5, Cahilig 0
MERALCO 98–Newsome 27, Reyson 14, Black 12, Jose 12, Hodge 10, Cansino 8, Bates 6, Almazan 5, Quinto 4, Torres 0, Rios 0, Caram 0, Pascual 0
QUARTERS: 25-21, 52-38, 77-74, 110-98
Follow him on X: @IvanSaldajeno
.jpg)
