PBA: 10-man SMB drubs Blackwater to bolster Top 4 bid

CJ Perez and the San Miguel Beermen can still score a blowout win despite only having 10 players available. PBA Images

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Even with only 10 players available, San Miguel was still too much for Blackwater as the Beermen walked out of the PhilSports Arena in Pasig 115-78 winners in their Sunday night PBA Philippine Cup clash.

With Marcio Lassiter, Juami Tiongson, and Jeron Teng staying home to recover from sore eyes, SMB still showed how talented it is, pulling away in the last five minutes of the second quarter to quickly depose Blackwater's unfinished business from Friday night after nearly upsetting Ginebra.

CJ Perez led the Beermen, who strengthened their shot at finishing the elimination round inside the Top 4, which would mean a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals, with 20 points, two rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

June Mar Fajardo added 17 points, 13 rebounds, one assist, and two blocks.

Christian David put up 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, six rebounds, five assists, and one steal for the Bossing, who fell to a tie at the bottom with the Terrafirma Dyip at 1-7.

Follow him on X: @IvanSaldajeno