Beermen outgun Patriots

MANILA, Philippines - The San Miguel Beermen reasserted their supremacy over the league-leading AirAsia Philippine Patriots, fashioning out an emphatic 93-78 victory to clinch a semifinal berth in the AirAsia ASEAN Basketball League at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig last night.

Import Duke Crews dominated the paint and came away with 23 points and five rebounds while top gun Leo Avenido also churned out a 23-point performance to move the Beermen just half-a-game behind the Patriots with their 13th win against four defeats.

The 2010 champions still lead the field with a 13-3 card, their three setbacks all suffered at the hands of the Beermen.

Nick Fazekas backed Crews and Avenido with a double-double effort of 16 points and 16 rebounds as they spoiled the debut of former Ginebra import Chris Alexander in the game the Beermen dominated in the last three quarters.

Fazekas also had three assists, two steals and four blocks in his second ABL game while point guard Chris Banchero had an impressive debut of 11 points and six assists.

Crews highlighted his stint with six dunks as he pounced on the struggling Patriots, who trailed by as many as 23 points in the fourth.

Anthony Johnson scored 30 points but failed to draw solid support from the Patriots’ locals. 

The Patriots also sorely missed the absence of ace point guard Al Vergara, who didn’t see action due to illness.

Alexander failed to impose his will inside in the face of the Beermen’s tough defense although he finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 35 minutes.

The scores:

San Miguel Beer 93 - Crews 23, Avenido 23, Fazekas 16, Banchero 11, Fernandez 8, Fajardo 5, Yap 3, Dimaunahan 3, Cabatu 1, Baguion 0, Ferriols 0, Gonzales 0.

AirAsia Phl 78 - Johnson 30, Alexander 16, Larong 9, Ybanez 6, Adriano 5, Fernandez 4, Laure 3, Wainwright 2, Raymundo 2, Ramos 1, Saldua 0, Arellano 0.

Quarterscores: 22-18; 47-37; 64-55; 93-78