San Miguel Beer was in its best form Friday night, breaking away in the third period to post a 103-82 plastering of Talk ’N Text in the third game of the PBA Philippine Cup that was as dirty and bloody as could be at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Beermen built leads of as many as 27 points before Talk ’N Text coach Chot Reyes sent his relievers, who, whether with instructions or otherwise, went on to do literal damage on some of the key San Miguel players on the floor.

Sunday Salvacion had the right side of his head busted open by what looked like an intentional Mark Yee elbow, literally soiling the Big Dome floor with a huge amount of blood that needed the efforts of at least three mop-up men to clean.

Before that, when the Beermen were already inexorably ahead early in the fourth period, Alex Cabagnot was kneed in the groin by Emerson Oreta while going for a running jumper, sending the San Miguel guard wincing on the floor.

And those actions certainly didn’t go unnoticed as far as the San Miguel players were concerned, vowing to come back hard in Game 4 Sunday night where the series equalizer could be.

“I hope the commissioner takes a close look at those incidents and that he metes out stiff action,” Agustin told reporters in Filipino when asked to comment, his voice suddenly shaking with anger. “There was no doubt that it was deliberate. Do they only look at crucial plays on replay.

“They (bench players) came into the game only to hurt my players,” the 1992 MVP, who notched his first Finals victory as a coach, continued. “What if we do it to them (Texters)? The problem with them is that they can’t take losing. And that they will go to any lengths to win.

“That is not the way the game should be played,” Agustin stressed. “It was a bad sign of sportsmanship on their part.”

Arwind Santos led the Beermen with 20 points and six offensive rebounds, but also suffered a contusion in the head after being banged up so hard by Harvey Carey late in the third period and San Miguel way out in front.

Salvacion finished with 13 points in just 17 minutes but needed to be escorted off the court and taken straight to the hospital with his cut requiring several stitches to close.

Yee and Oreta were both summoned by commissioner Chito Salud to a meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday and both are expected to be fined heavily and suspended.

“Tonight we saw the real San Miguel team,” Reyes said in starting his post-game interview. “When you play a team as tough and talented and you’re not prepared, you get a sound ass-whipping. Hopefully it would serve as a wake-up call to us.”

He was then asked to comment on what Agustin and the San Miguel players said.

“I wanted to preserve my regular players,” Reyes said when asked why he put all his relievers on the floor at the same time early in the fourth quarter. “There was no malicious intent (to hurt).”

San Miguel dropped a 14-0 bomb early in the third period to take a 64-44 lead before working harder to up this to as many as 27 twice.

It looked to be a yawner for the Beermen from there until those unfortunate incidents happened and it just added fire to what has already been a truly bruising best-of-seven series.

“I am used to playing in the streets,” Santos said in Filipino. “I learned to play in the streets where there are little rules. If that’s the way they want to play, then so be it. I won’t back down.”

Game 4 is set at 6 p.m. on Sunday also at the Araneta Coliseum and Ryan Reyes is expected to return to the Talk ‘N Text lineup.

Agustin, though, rejected suggestions that Talk ’N Text was sloppy because it missed a vital element in Reyes, who flew back to the United States Wednesday night to attend the funeral of younger brother Allan Raymond.

“First of all, let’s give my players credit because they worked so hard for this win,” Agustin said. “I don’t think that even with (Reyes) in their lineup, they could have beaten us tonight with the way we played.”