June Mar Fajardo came to the rescue of the San Miguel Beermen, helping his side turn back the TNT KaTropa, 80-78, in Game One of their best-of-three quarterfinal series in the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena.
The reigning five-time league Most Valuable Player scored his team’s last five points to turn a three-point deficit with 2:18 left to a narrow two-point win. The Beermen are now just one win away from returning to the semifinals.
Fajardo finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds with four blocks for SMB, who are gunning for their fifth straight All-Filipino championship.
“Thank God for this win. We thought we’re losing because of a bad start. Swerte lang kami rito,” said San Miguel head coach Leo Austria, whose side trailed in the majority of the game – they were even down by 12 in the third.
“We all know Talk ‘N’ Text are really out there to prove something, especially against us. They want to beat us badly. But I have to commend my players because they refused to lose,” added the decorated bench strategist.
Marcio Lassiter made 15 points and six rebounds in the win.
Terrence Romeo also added 15 markers, alongside two rebounds, two assists, and a steal against his former team. He missed the opportunity to meet TNT back in the eliminations, no thanks to an ankle injury.
Meanwhile, Alex Cabagnot chipped in 12 markers and five boards
Troy Rosario had 23 points and nine rebounds for the fourth-seeded KaTropa. Roger Pogoy had himself a sour shooting night, only going 6-of-20 from the field for 16 points. However, he added seven rebounds, three dimes, and three steals.
Don Trollano supplied 11 points, while Kelly Willians missed out on a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
San Miguel will look to finish TNT in Game Two on Monday, April 8, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
San Miguel 80 – Lassiter 15, Fajardo 15, Romeo 15, Cabagnot 12, Santos 8, Ross 6, Standahrdinger 5, Rosser 2, Pessumal 2, Nabong 0.
TNT 78 – Rosario 23, Pogoy 16, Trollano 11, Williams 9, Taha 8, Castro 8, Reyes 2, A. Semerad 1, Carey 0, Heruela 0, D. Semerad 0, Washington 0.
Quarterscores: 13-22, 39-46, 60-65, 80-78.
