Barrage of 3s helps Gilas pummel Beermen to remain undefeated

Against Pilipinas-Smart Gilas Saturday night, San Miguel was far from the team that achieved back-to-back runner-up finishes in the past two conferences of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The Nationals showered a hapless Beermen side with a barrage of three-pointers on the way to the most lopsided win so far in the Commissioner's Cup, 109-68, before a stunned crowd at The Arena in San Juan. Marcus Douthit was a towering presence for Gilas inside, scoring 17 points, but it was the hot-shooting hands of the team’s phalanx of wingmen that spelled the difference in the Nationals' fourth straight win in the import-laden tournament. Marc Barroca and Dylan Ababou each finished with 17 markers, Marcio Lassiter had 16 and Chris Lutz 14 for the PHL squad that is bound for the FIBA-Asia men's Olympic qualifying tournament this September. Together, the Nationals bombarded the Beermen with 16-of-31 attempts from three-point range, on an impressive 51.6 percent shooting clip. With a 4-0 card, the Nationals grabbed the solo top spot over the idle Rain or Shine squad (3-0). The 41-point loss was the worst for San Miguel in the last 12 years, worse than its last lopsided loss, to Alaska in Game 6 of the 1998 All-Filipino Finals, 99-61. Runner-ups to Alaska in last year's Fiesta Cup, and to Talk 'N Text in the recent Philippine Cup, the Beermen shot poorly from the floor, going 28-of-87 for 32 percent and finishing a paltry 2-of-16 from downtown. San Miguel fell to 1-3 overall, suffering its second straight setback since consummating a blockbuster trade with Air21 that brought in rookies Noy Baclao, Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Rey Guevarra. David Young led the Beermen with 15 points, while Al-Hussaini and Jay Washington had 13 each. The Beermen trailed by 10 after the first 12 minutes of play, and then fell by as much as 19-38 midway in the first half that was highlighted by a heated exchange of words and a little shoving between Douthit and Lordy Tugade. Although San Miguel cut the deficit to 14 at the break, the Nationals kept on the pressure in the third, tormenting the Beermen with their crisp outside shooting and Douthit's dominance in the paint. JV Casio's three-pointer just before the buzzer put Smart Gilas way ahead, 75-41, entering the final quarter. - JVP, KY, GMA News