Adams on fire with 49 as Beermen dump Fuel Masters

MANILA, Philippines — Returning import Jordan Adams exploded for 49 points to tow the San Miguel Beermen over the still-winless Phoenix Fuel Masters, 139-127, in the PBA Governors' Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday.

Adams, who was replaced by Sheldon Mac as the Beermen’s import in Wednesday's game against the NLEX Road Warriors, erupted for 26 points in the second half as he went head-to-head with Phoenix import Brandone Francis, who scored 48 of his own.

Adams shot 16-of-27 from the field, including two 4-pointers and 4-of-7 from the 3-point territory. CJ Perez and June Mar Fajardo backstopped with 23 and 22 markers, respectively.

The former had seven assists and five rebounds, while the latter had 11 boards and six dimes on a perfect 10-of-10 shooting. 

The two teams were kept in a competitive first half, with Phoenix trailing by just two, 55-57, with 2:15 remaining in the second quarter after a deuce by RJ Jazul.

San Miguel, though, broke the game wide open with a 12-0 punch to end the half to go up by 12, 67-55.

This was enough separation for the Beermen as they relied on the torrid scoring of Adams, who had 19 points in the third quarter.

The lead grew to as much as 20 points, 108-88, with 10:53 left after a triple by Don Trollano.

Francis tried to pull Phoenix back into the game, cutting the lead to just 11, 115-126, with 3:24 to go.

However, Adams locked and loaded from 4-point territory kept the Fuel Masters at bay.

Raul Soyud answered with a trey of his own, but finishing touches by Fajardo and Perez slammed the door shut.

“[What’s most important is] we got the win. I just went out there and played hard and tried to get the win for my teammates,” Adams told reporters after the win.

“I just had to stay ready. They told me to stay ready, you’ll never know what can happen. That’s my job as a professional, stay in the gym and stay ready for my name to be called,” he added.

Lassiter finished with 16 points on a 5-of-12 shooting from deep. Two more 3-pointers will tie the 3-point record set by Jimmy Alapag.

Francis had 48 points on 17-of-26 clip, to go with five rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. Jason Perkins added 18 markers.

The Beermen have won three straight games and rose to 5-2, good for solo second. Phoenix dropped to 0-7.

San Miguel will face the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings next while Phoenix will try to finally get a win against the Blackwater Bossing. Both games will be on Sunday at the Big Dome.