MANILA, Philippines – At the Caloocan Sports Complex on Saturday in the PBA on Tour, RODNEY Brondial led San Miguel Beer to a comeback victory over NorthPort, 87 to 75, with figures akin to those of June Mar Fajardo.

Brondial seized the chance to shine while Fajardo was still treating his knee, scoring 18 points, pulling down 21 rebounds, and dishing out three assists to lead SMB past Batang Pier (0 to 2) and into the victory column after losing to Phoenix 101 to 106 to start the preseason meet.

After the Batang Pier reduced their early 20-point lead to a manageable five points in the third quarter, Brondial, who went 5-of-6 from the field, scored 11 of his total points in that period. He teamed up with Jericho Cruz to help restore a double-digit margin.

For the Jorge Gallent-coached Beermen, Cruz led all scorers with 22 points, followed by Terrence Romeo with 14 points after scoring 27 points, and Mo Tautuaa with 11.

For NorthPort, which struggled to recover from its opening-round setback to Meralco by a score of 89 to 97, Paul Zamar blasted in 20 points, MJ Ayaay added 18 points, and JM Calma added 14 to 13.

In the opening 12 minutes, the Batang Pier had the worst shooting performance imaginable, scoring just six points on 3-of-25 shooting.

The second quarter saw the Batang Pier claw back to within five points, 34 to 39, but the 14-point outburst of Ayaay re-energized Bonnie Tan’s troops.

When the final canto began, the deficit had grown to a more manageable 13 thanks to the joint efforts of Brondial and Cruz. (OL)

Scores at the end of the Match

San Miguel with 88 points for the win

Cruz had 22, Brondial had 18, Romeo had 14, Tautuaa had 11, Herndon had 7, Bulanadi had 6, Faundo had 5, Lee had 2, Baclao had 2, De Vera had 0, and Saldua had 1.

NorthPort with 75 points

Ayaay, 18, Zamar, 20, Taha, 2, Santos, 2, Caperal, 0, Munzon, 0, Balagasay, 0, Salado, 0, Olivario, 0

Scores per quarter

19 to 6, 39 to 34, 68 to 55, 87 to 75.