By Jay R. Gotera
MANILA — The back-to-back defending champions San Miguel Beermen had little trouble disposing of the TNT KaTropa Texters, 111-98, to take Game 1 of their best-of-7 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals series Wednesday night.
The Beermen never gave the Texters any opening to mount a serious rally as they led from start to finish with all guns ablaze.
Marcio Lassiter finished with a team-high 22 points, 12 of them in the first quarter when the Beermen quickly set the pace for the blowout victory. Lassiter also had eight rebounds and five assists.
Reigning two-time MVP June Mar Fajardo came through with 21 markers and eight boards while Alex Cabagnot added 20 points.
SMB’s winning streak thus extended to 11 games, equaling their franchise-best win streak. The Beermen have been unbeaten for over two months now.
Game Two of the best-of-seven series is set for Friday night.
The Beermen began the game with a 7-0 blast en route to a 32-16 lead after the end of the first quarter.
The Texters responded with a 15-3 run in the second period that slashed SMB’s to just five. Nevertheless, Beermen kept their poise, maintaining a 56-46 lead at halftime.
TNT tried to mount rallies in the second half but SMB simply repulsed each attempt.
Jayson Castro led TNT with 27 markers, eight boards and three dimes. Kelly Williams played his best game yet, finishing with 24 points punctuated with a couple of smashing dunks in the losing effort.
An interesting sidelight of the series is the battle between Fajardo and Castro for the Best Player of the Conference plum.
Game Thursday (semifinals): Star Hotshots vs. Barangay Ginebra Kings (Game 1 of best-of-7).
