Beermen rout Batang Pier to clinch quarters berth

MANILA, Philippines -- The San Miguel Beermen formally stamped their ticket to the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals at the expense of the the free-falling NorthPort Batang Pier, 120-100, Sunday evening at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

CJ Perez continued to be the guiding light of the flawless defending champions, unleashing 29 points, nine rebounds and six assists, as well as a steal.

It was a masterful outing for the Beermen, who trailed for only 29 seconds early on in the game.

The Beermen broke the game wide open as early as the second quarter, turning a nine-point 36-27 lead to a 26-point 72-46 cushion with a triple by Simon Enciso.

The team then kept its foot on the Batang Pier's neck, leading by as much as 39 points, 114-75, in the fourth quarter thanks to a layup by Don Trollano.

The 20-point spread at the end of the game was the closest NorthPort got to, as the usual suspects of the defending champions rode the bench.

Mo Tautuaa provided the spark off the bench with 15 points. Marcio Lassiter and Trollano added 14 and 13 markers, respectively.

The Beermen displayed too much firepower, making 50% of their field goal attempts, while sinking 18 of their 35 3-point tries.

Arvin Tolentino scattered 26 points and nine rebounds in the losing effort.

San Miguel remained unblemished through seven contests thus far. NorthPort, meanwhile, slipped to 4-5 and dropped its fourth straight game.