MANILA, Philippines – Bay Area clobbered a San Miguel side sorely missing June Mar Fajardo in a 113-87 romp to rediscover its winning ways in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, October 16.

With the six-time PBA MVP sidelined after undergoing a throat surgery, the Dragons mauled the Beermen from start to finish as they bounced back from their first loss of the conference to improve to 5-1.

Guest team Bay Area saw its unbeaten run come to a screeching halt after a 111-93 blowout loss at the hands of Barangay Ginebra exactly a week ago.

But the Dragons took on the role of the punisher this time as they banked on a dominant first-half performance from former NBA veteran Andrew Nicholson, who chalked up 39 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Nicholson unloaded 25 points in the first two quarters alone to key Bay Area to a commanding 58-40 advantage going into the break.

That lead swelled to as big as 30 points in the third quarter off a Hayden Blankley trey, 86-56, and San Miguel never recovered.

Blankley backstopped Nicholson in scoring with 17 points to go with 9 rebounds and 2 steals, while Kobey Lam netted 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

The Dragons also got 16 points from Songwei Zhu and 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks from 7-foot-5 big man Liu Chuanxing.

While Nicholson imposed his will, Beermen import Diamond Stone submitted a quiet outing of 11 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists – a far cry from his 42-point, 13-rebound explosion in a win over Rain or Shine last weel.

CJ Perez put up 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists for San Miguel, which dropped to 1-2.

The Scores

Bay Area 113 – Nicholson 39, Blankley 17, Zhu 16, Lam 16, Liu 12, Reid 6, Song 3, Ju 2, Ewing 2, Zheng 0, Yang 0, Si 0, Liang 0.

San Miguel 87 – Perez 19, Manuel 15, Stone 11, Enciso 9, Tautuaa 9, Cruz 8, Lassiter 7, Brondial 4, Zamar 3, Ross 2, Herndon 0, Canete 0.

Quarters: 28-17, 58-40, 86-58, 113-87

– Rappler.com