MANILA, Philippines – The aforementioned Philippine Basketball Association has become once again on the road this Saturday, traveling to the Tiaong Convention Center in Tiaong, Quezon, for the organization’s initial legitimate away-from-home match since the pandemic.

Starting at 8 p.m., the historical matchup between San Miguel Beer along Converge will mark the beginning of the league’s Saturday road trips, which will also abruptly cease in the municipality of San Jose, Batangas on December 9, Cagayan de Oro on December 16, as well as Iloilo on January 6.

Naturally, the primary components. Gift revolves around the San Miguel vs. Converge match, where June Mar Fajardo as well as company are trying to snap a three-game losing streak by defeating the Converge team for the second time in a row.

During the preseason On Tour series, the PBA has already held a game in this first-class municipality, approximately 90 kilometers away from Manila.

With a combination of 21 points off of the bench, Allein Maliksi led the Bolts in their 92 to 89 victory over San Miguel.

With Bong Quinto scoring 19 points and Raymond Almazan pulling down 14 rebounds, the Bolts defeated a San Miguel team without their best players.

After easily defeating the Meralco Bolts 93 to 83 on Sunday night, the SMB members are hoping for a rematch in their upcoming game. This time around, head coach Jorge Gallent expects floor general Chris Ross, Marcio Lassiter, Terrence Romeo, and June Mar Fajardo, who are all known talents, to spearhead the offensive attack.

San Miguel’s triumph over Meralco was a much-needed declaration of revival following their devastating loss to the NLEX Road Warriors on November 15th, 117-113. They were desperate to bounce back from that devastating setback.

The Beermen were clearly the overwhelming favorites heading into this PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup matchup against the Meralco Bolts, who had recently struggled with three straight losses to elite teams like Blackwater, TNT, and Barangay Ginebra by double-digit scores. They also performed as expected when facing the faltering Bolts.

In his debut conference, import Tom Vodanovich has struggled mightily to take Diamond Stone’s place in the San Miguel frontcourt. The Converge addition was able to generate only 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 costly turnovers in Meralco’s previous humiliating 18-point defeat at the hands of the rival Ginebra Gin Kings.

Remarkably, though, the Beermen were supported by their home crowd in their arena, so much so that they didn’t even require a strong showing from their reinforcement to defeat the Bolts. The supporting cast from the area more than made up for it.

After all, seasoned star Marcio Lassiter put up a productive all-around performance, scoring 17 points on a strong 5-of-9 field goal shooting effort, in addition to pulling down eight rebounds and dishing out four assists. Moala Tautuaa, the frontcourt companion, also contributed strong, complimentary stats with 16 markers and five boards. Additionally, the offensive team was led by the indispensable guards Terrence Romeo and Chris Ross, who scored 12 and 15, respectively.

The fearsome San Miguel Beermen appear ready to make a big impression at this conference with their extensive arsenal of weapons and balance. And head coach Gallent’s team will be working hard to maintain the momentum from this heartwarming comeback win. With the league’s parity at an all-time high, the Beermen realize they have to play at their best every night going forward if they are to win a championship.