Winless San Miguel crashes out of EASL contention after blowout loss to Hiroshima
MANILA, Philippines – San Miguel’s fortunes in the East Asia Super League have not changed.
The Beermen remained the only winless team in the continental showdown after absorbing a 94-63 road drubbing at the hands of the Hiroshima Dragonflies in Japan on Wednesday, January 8.
A lethargic start against the reigning Japan B. League champion doomed San Miguel as it bowed out of contention with its fourth straight loss of the tournament.
Hiroshima unleashed a 20-7 opening run spearheaded by Nick Mayo and never looked back en route to the 31-point romp that kept the Dragonflies at the top of Group A.
Import Torren Jones paced the Beermen with 24 points and 13 rebounds, while June Mar Fajardo ended up as the only other San Miguel player in double-figure scoring with 12 points on top of 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Juami Tiongson added 9 points for a misfiring Beermen side that shot 36.1% from the field, including 16.7% from three-point land.
It did not help San Miguel that it played without second import Jabari Narcis as the Beermen saw their slide continue after sustaining back-to-back losses in the PBA.
While San Miguel fired blanks, Hiroshima spread the wealth with five players scoring in twin digits led by Mayo and Keijiro Mitani, who netted 18 points apiece.
Mayo also tallied 8 rebounds and 2 steals, while Kerry Blackshear Jr. flirted with a triple-double with 12 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals as the Dragonflies hiked their record to 4-1.
Takuto Nakamura and Ryo Yamazaki recorded 11 points each in the victory.
Already out of the semifinal race, the Beermen will try to salvage their campaign when they host Hong Kong Eastern at the PhilSports Arena on January 15. – Rappler.com
