Well-rested but sharp SMB crushes BK in Fiesta Cup semis opener

MANILA, Philippines – What rust? Showing it remained in tip-top shape during a long three-week break, San Miguel destroyed Burger King, 102-87, to win the opener of their Motolite-PBA Fiesta Cup semifinals series Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum. Gabe Freeman scored 22 points on 10-for-15 shooting, Jay Washington added 17 points, Dondon Hontiveros contributed 14, Danny Ildefonso had 10 and Marc Pingris collected 14 rebounds for the Beermen, the top-seeds who last saw action on May 22. San Miguel obviously didn’t lose the stinging touch that guided it to an 11-3 (win-loss) record in the elimination round, the best among the 10 teams that allowed it to clinch the first outright semi-finals slot. The Beermen outscored the Whoppers in the first three quarters, including a 34-22 edge in the third period. San Miguel had its largest lead in the game early in the fourth, 83-61, before turning back a late uprising by Burger King. “Sa umpisa pa lang we already had a good rhythm," said SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen. “But it’s just one win. They (Whoppers) just came from a series and perhaps they didn’t have enough time (to prepare)." He stressed that "the playoffs are not about just one game and knowing (Burger King) coach Yeng (Guiao), you can bet on it that he will get his team ready for the next game." JR Quinahan had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Whoppers, who came into the semis fresh from a 2-1 quarterfinals series win over undermanned Sta. Lucia Realty that included a record 120-72 lopsided victory in Game 3. Mark Yee came off the bench to add 16 points and Shawn Daniels contributed 12 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Daniels, however, committed five errors. Also ending up as a huge factor for Burger King was the off-night performance of Arwind Santos. The former FEU star only managed to pour in five points and merely took six attempts. He, however, had six rebounds. Gary David similarly had a bad night, coming up with a meager seven points on a horrible 1-for-9 shooting from the field. The only time that Burger King was in the game was in the second period, when it led, 31-26, after wiping out a 24-14 deficit with a 17-2 blast. But the Beermen outscored the Whoppers 19-6 the rest of the way before the halftime break to take a 45-37 lead. - GMANews.TV