San Miguel Beer drew first blood after taking down Meralco, 121-97, in Game 1 of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinals Wednesday, 3 August at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

CJ Perez led the way, firing 25 points and five rebounds to give the Beermen a 1-0 lead in the Final Four series.

Rodney Brondial also shone with 20 markers and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes of action, while Vic Manuel muscled 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the clip.

Chris Banchero topped the Bolts with 17 markers and five assists but Meralco committed 17 turnovers that resulted in a crushing defeat.