San Miguel went off to a fiery start and then turned to CJ Perez to deny any efforts for fightback from Barangay Ginebra to complete a masterful 104-93 victory in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday, April 25.

The Beermen pounced on the flat-starting Kings in the opening frame to take control of the contest right on the first half before doing just enough to quickly douse a looming Ginebra comeback in the final frame.

Perez was at the forefront of the attack with 23 points, none bigger than his seven straight points – a four-pointer and a trey – in the final frame to keep Ginebra at bay after it managed to cut the lead down to just 12 points.

Don Trollano had 19 points – 11 of which he poured in the first half where the Beermen immediately established a 21-point lead before settling for an 18-point cushion at the break.

June Mar Fajardo had 18 points and 12 rebounds while Jericho Cruz added 11 and Marcio Lassiter and Juami Tiongson chipped in 10 each.

The Beermen improved to a 3-1 record while handing the Kings their first defeat in two games.