San Miguel topples Ginebra in PBA Preseason matchup

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The San Miguel Beermen got the better of the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 90-78, during another road game in the ongoing PBA On Tour Preseason last June 4, 2023, held at the Ynares Center.

Terrence Romeo is finally returning to his healthy condition after a banged-up Governor’s Cup Conference and led San Miguel with 21 big points.

It was in the second half that the flashy scoring machine took over for the Beermen after dropping 16 markers in the last two quarters against coach Tim Cone’s perimeter defense.

After a slow start in the PBA On Tour, Romeo is now back with his usual scoring rhythm and will look to earn his minutes in the San Miguel rotation once the next conference kicks off.

The Beermen immediately went off to the races after clinching an early 18-8 advantage in the opening minutes of the first quarter and never looked back since then.

San Miguel fired from all cylinders throughout the game and received double-digit scoring performances from Jericho Cruz, CJ Perez, Rodney Brondial, and Allyn Bulanadi.

Cruz became San Miguel’s second-leading scorer with 18 points, Perez added 15, while the duo of Brondial and Bulanadi combined for 22 points.

On the other hand, the Gin Kings were led by Kim Aurin from the Perpetual Altas who delivered 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

Aljon Mariano had a convincing 17-point night including eight rebounds but was still not enough to contain the balanced Beermen attack.

“We’re just here to learn, learn, improve, and win. We learn from our mistakes, we improve on our mistakes, and that’s what we’re gonna do in this PBA On Tour: learn, improve, and win,” said SMB head coach Jorge Gallent.

After losing its opening game against the Phoenix Super LPG team, the Beermen are now riding on a two-game winning streak and is looking for more to tighten up their preparations for the upcoming PBA conference.