Arwind Santos continues to be a model of consistency and durability for San Miguel even at the age of 39.

Santos played for nearly 42 minutes and put up 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals as San Miguel won its third straight bubble game in the PBA Philippine Cup with an 89-82 conquest of Meralco.

Despite missing injured stars June Mar Fajardo and Terrence Romeo, San Miguel found itself at the upper echelon of the standings with a 4-2 record, and Santos is one to thank for that blazing start.

“[At] the start of the game, I told Arwind to warm up well because there is a lot of running in this game,” said San Miguel head coach Leo Austria as they faced the fast-paced Meralco.

“He told me, ‘Coach, we’ll see who among us is well-conditioned.’ I told myself, ‘The confidence of this kid is sky high.’ But I trusted him.”

True enough, Santos delivered for San Miguel as he notched his fifth double-double, the most in this conference according to PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon.

Santos averages 14.2 points and 10.7 rebounds, which ranks only behind the 11.4 rebounds of NorthPort workhorse Christian Standhardinger, to go with 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks.

While his stats prove his immense impact on San Miguel, Santos’ on-court presence alone benefits his teammates, particularly Mo Tautuaa, who had 23 points and 5 rebounds against Meralco.

Known as a potent outside threat, Santos opened the floor for Tautuaa to dominate in the paint.

“We really wanted the ball to Mo Tautuaa at the post so we need somebody from our big men to shoot and [Santos is] always a threat,” Austria said.

“And that is the reason why he is there. As you can see, he knows how to pace himself.” – Rappler.com