Rodney Brondial holds the fort as Beermen sink Batang Pier
San Miguel Beer picked up its first win in the PBA on Tour with an 87-75 victory over NorthPort at the Ynares Arena in Pasig City Saturday, May 27.
The Beermen started the game like a house on fire, establishing a commanding 30-6 lead early in the second quarter before easily brushing off any Batang Pier attempt of comeback to barge into the win column after opening their campaign with a loss to Phoenix. Rodney Brondial stepped up and held the fort for the SMB side, which was missing the services of some of its key players in June Mar Fajardo, Marcio Lassiter, Chris Ross, and CJ Perez. He embraced the extended role with a double-double performance of 18 points and 21 rebounds while Jericho Cruz bounced back from a dismal first-game showing by topscoring with 22 points. Terrence Romeo, who waxed hot for 27 points in the first game, cooled down a little bit with 14 points while Mo Tautuaa added 11 points and six rebounds. Despite a turbulent start in the contest that saw them trail by as many as 24 points in the first quarter, the Batang Pier still managed to put up a threat against the Beermen by cutting the lead down to just five, 39-34, at the break. However, SMB appeared unbothered as it quickly reestablished a double-digit spread, 51-38, following a 12-4 spurt to open the second half. The run proved to be the telling blow for SMB as NorthPort never really found the extra gear to its comeback attempt, allowing the Beermen to cruise to the comfortable win. Paul Zamar was a thorn to the side of his former team with 20 points while MJ Ayaay and JM Calma added 18 and 14 points respectively for NorthPort, which missed the services of Arvin Tolentino.
*Rodney Brondial puts up a stellar double-double for SMB (PBA Images)
*The Beermen started the game like a house on fire, establishing a commanding 30-6 lead early in the second quarter before easily brushing off any Batang Pier attempt of comeback to barge into the win column after opening their campaign with a loss to Phoenix. Rodney Brondial stepped up and held the fort for the SMB side, which was missing the services of some of its key players in June Mar Fajardo, Marcio Lassiter, Chris Ross, and CJ Perez. He embraced the extended role with a double-double performance of 18 points and 21 rebounds while Jericho Cruz bounced back from a dismal first-game showing by topscoring with 22 points. Terrence Romeo, who waxed hot for 27 points in the first game, cooled down a little bit with 14 points while Mo Tautuaa added 11 points and six rebounds. Despite a turbulent start in the contest that saw them trail by as many as 24 points in the first quarter, the Batang Pier still managed to put up a threat against the Beermen by cutting the lead down to just five, 39-34, at the break. However, SMB appeared unbothered as it quickly reestablished a double-digit spread, 51-38, following a 12-4 spurt to open the second half. The run proved to be the telling blow for SMB as NorthPort never really found the extra gear to its comeback attempt, allowing the Beermen to cruise to the comfortable win. Paul Zamar was a thorn to the side of his former team with 20 points while MJ Ayaay and JM Calma added 18 and 14 points respectively for NorthPort, which missed the services of Arvin Tolentino.