Saudi Gazette MANILA — The San Miguel Beermen showed devastating firepower and championship poise to soundly defeat the Talk N Text Tropang Texters, 97-84, Saturday night in the PBA Philippine Cup. The Beermen thus rolled to their seventh straight win and nine overall against a single loss to cement their grip of the top spot, assuring themselves of a top 2 finish and the semifinals slot that goes with it. Arwind Santos led the Beermen this time, finishing 30 points and 12 rebounds. Two-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo also had a double-double of 22 points, 15 rebounds aside from five blocks. Alex Cabagnot also sparkled for San Miguel, finishing 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists. The loss, their third in eight games, sent the Texters to solo fifth in the standings. The Beermen posted a 19-point lead in the third quarter and never looked back. The Texters tried to whip up a storm late in the final quarter as they ignited a 10-0 run in the overtime period, cutting SMB's lead to 10 points, 71-61. But the Beermen responded with 13-3 blast, restoring their team's 19 points advantage as they cruised to victory. GlobalPort 118, Mahindra 116 GlobalPort's backcourt stars Terrence Romeo and Stanley Pringle caught fire late in the game as the Batang Pier escaped with a 118-116 overtime victory. Romeo and Pringle led their team with 29 points apiece as their heroics denied victory to a Mahindra squad fighting furiously for survival. Pringle knocked down a clutch buzzer-beating jumper that tied up the score at 103-all at the end of regulation. Romeo then showed his own brand of basketball wizardry in the overtime period to finally hurdle a tough Mahindra challenge. Romeo also had 10 rebounds and eight assists while Pringle finished with eight boards and seven assists. It was victory No. 7 for GlobalPort against three losses, sustaining their hope for a Top 2 finish with a guaranteed semifinals slot incentive. The Batang Pier are currently in solo fourth in the standings with one game left in their schedule. Ahead of them is the pacesetting San Miguel Beermen (8-1) and Rain or Shine and Alaska, both with a 7-2 card. The loss sent the Enforcers on the brink of elimination as they fell second to last with a 2-8 card. To avoid elimination, Mahindra had to beat Blackwater (2-7) on Dec. 2 and hope that Star also beat Blackwater on Dec. 18. Four other GlobalPort players scored in double digits with Jay Washington and Billy Mamaril posting 12 points apiece, Joseph Yeo with 11 and Doug Kramer adding 10 markers. Aldrech Ramos led Mahindra with 24 points while Karl Dehesa added 23 markers and eight assists. Rookie Michael Digregorio, a fourth round pick in the latest PBA Rookie Draft who was playing in just his third game in the league, made a huge splash for Mahindra, finishing with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists. Richard Yee and Bradwyn Guinto added 14 and 11 markers, respectively. Games Sunday: Barako Bull Energy (4-5) vs. Star Hotshots (3-6) and NLEX Road Warriors (4-5) vs. Barangay Ginebra Kings (5-4).
