Beermen hand Heat 6th consecutive loss at ABL
The Jakarta Post | Mon, 02/13/2012 10:31 AM
HO CHI MINH CITY: A big third quarter by the San Miguel Beermen gave them the edge to defeat winless Saigon Heat 85-62 in their ASEAN Basketball League meet-up at Tanh Binh Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Saturday.
Dalron Johnson got his third double-double this season with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and five steals. Dunk machine Doug Thomas also had a double-double with 18 points which included five dunks and 10 rebounds. As for Saigon, Jonathan Jones led all the scoring with 26 points while Julius Hodge added 23 points and 13 rebounds.
Jones and Hodge are still carrying the scoring load for Saigon. Point guard John Smith did not make a big impact today as he only scored six points and turned the ball over seven times.
Saigon was able to keep up with the Beermen in the first half however, managing to end the first quarter level at 18-all and keeping only four points between them and the Beermen going into the second half. Jones and Julius Hodge scored 29 of Saigon’s 34 points in the first half which ended Saigon 34, Beermen 38.
The Beermen, who were looking for their fourth win this season, stepped it up in the third quarter. Dalron Johnson started the quarter by scoring eight straight points to stretch the lead to 47-11 three minutes into the third quarter. They outscored Saigon 29-15 in the third quarter.
The Beermen did not stop attacking even with a 67-49 lead into the final quarter. They had their biggest lead in the game at 83-59 after Johnson hit a follow up and Saigon picked up their sixth straight loss this season.
The Beermen’s reserves made a big difference in this game. Leo Avenido scored 16 points off the bench and Allan Mangahas added 11.
Saigon still needs to get more from their other players. Apart from Hodge and Jones, the rest of the team was only able to score 13 points combined.
The San Miguel Beermen will continue their road trip on Feb. 18 as they will travel to Jakarta, Indonesia, to take on the Indonesia Warriors. Saigon Heat will play again at Tanh Binh Stadium on Feb. 19 when they host the Bangkok Cobras.
