Defending champion San Miguel Beer welcomed the return of head coach Leo Austria with an emphatic 106-88 victory over hard-luck Terrafirma to halt a two-game slide in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup Friday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Replacement import Torren Jones debuted with a bang, putting up impressive numbers with a double-double of 24 points and 13 rebounds to save the Beermen from their slump for an even 2-2 win-loss record.

San Miguel opened the floodgates in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Dyip, 33-22, and led by as many as 21 on their way to a morale-boosting blowout.

“I didn’t get to sleep after they (San Miguel management) appointed me back as coach because there’s a lot of pressure. In the PBA you cannot take any team lightly. Every team is competitive. You can never know what will happen.” said Austria, who re-assumed active duty as mentor replacing Jorge Gallent.

“Just like this team, Terrafirma. They played against Meralco in their last game and lost in just the last few possessions. That’s why I’m so happy to be back and get my first win after long years on the sideline,” added Austria, who won nine titles with San Miguel from 2014 to 2022 before being replaced by Gallent.

San Miguel governor Robert Non announced Austria’s reappointment hours before tipoff. Gallent, who steered the Beermen to the throne last year, assumed Austria’s previous role of team consultant.

June Mar Fajardo had 21 points and 19 rebounds, CJ Perez had 16 points while Juami Tiongson and Don Trollano had 12 and 10 points, respectively, for San Miguel.

Terrafirma’s woes continued as it remained winless in five futile outings.

Brandon Edwards led the Dyip with 18 points and 18 boards. Mark Nonoy got 14 markers while Vic Manuel added 12 points.

The Dyip made the game a little interesting in the third quarter when they dissolved an 11-point deficit to just a solitary point, 65-64, after Stanley Pringle connected on a trey with three minutes left. Jones and Fajardo answered with key baskets to keep Terrafirma at bay heading into the payoff period.