San Miguel rips Phoenix to jumpstart Governors' Cup campaign

San Miguel opened its 2023 Governors' Cup bid with a statement win, carving out a 114-93 victory over hapless Phoenix Super LPG on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

The Beermen went 1-0 to begin their journey under head coach Jorge Gallent, who replaced longtime and multi-titled tactician Leo Austria at the helm, while the Fuel Masters absorbed their third straight loss to go 0-3.

San Miguel grabbed their biggest lead of 33 after big man June Mar Fajardo completed two charities, 62-29, late in the second period. The team held Phoenix to just 16 points in the frame to end the half enjoying a 66-37 lead.

The Fuel Masters then outscored San Miguel in the third, 31 to 23, with Larry Muyang and Jayjay Alejandro leading their offense. Still, the Beermen had the upper hand heading to the fourth, 89-68.

An RJ Jazul three-pointer in the 7:29 mark cut Phoenix's deficit to 11, 93-82, but San Miguel had every answer as their lead ballooned again to 19 late in the payoff period and they never looked back since then.

Six Beermen were in double-digit scoring with import Cameron Clark producing 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals, and one block while Fajardo finished with a double-double effort of 19 markers and 13 boards.

—MGP, GMA Integrated News