ANTIPOLO – San Miguel simply went to June Mar Fajardo when it mattered most and as proven countless times in the past, that worked so effectively.
The PBA’s only eight-time MVP ignited the comeback to lead the Beermen to a pulsating 109-105 victory over Converge, in the process completing the Season 49 Governors’ Cup semifinal picture, Sunday night at the Ynares Center here.
Fajardo finished with a monster line of 40 points and 24 rebounds, nailing crucial buckets in back-to-back fashion to kick-start the perennial contenders’ furious rally from a 99-91 deficit with 7:32 remaining in the final period.
He would also split his foul shots for the eventual final score with 37.2 seconds left to play as the crew finished the game with an 18-6 assault in a solid display of endgame poise that the youth-laden FiberXers couldn’t match.
“Credit sa Converge sa magandang series na binigay nila sa atin. Credit kina Coach, sa mga teammates ko, nag-step up kami lahat,” Fajardo said.
“Alam namin na do-or-die na ‘to eh. ‘Pag natalo, uuwi. Ayaw pa namin umuwi, so kailangan namin manalo,” he added. “‘Yun ‘yung pinakita namin.”
EJ Anosike finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds, with his most important basket of the night a shot from point-blank off a CJ Perez assist that gave San Miguel the lead for good, 103-102, approaching the game’s last four minutes.
Perez, for his part, registered 10 points, six rebounds, and nine assists, along with two steals in a turnover-less performance in 33 minutes.
The others provided significant contributions like Jericho Cruz, who collected four steals. His last came in the dying seconds, disrupting their foes’ plan to go for the game-tying four as they eventually erupted in jubilation with the W.
“Lagi kaming sinasabihan ni Coach [Jorge Gallent] na laruin ang ‘San Miguel basketball’ at ‘yun nga ang ginawa namin para makuha ‘to,” Fajardo said.
Now, San Miguel will brace for another meeting with rivals Barangay Ginebra in the best-of-7 semis that begins Wednesday at the Philsports Arena.
Jalen Jones led Converge with 29 points and 17 rebounds as the young franchise fell short of completing a reverse sweep as it came back from a precarious 0-2 series deficit and forced a do-or-die Game 5.
Alec Stockton punched in 22 points and eight assists, while Bryan Santos supplied 16 points after going 5-of-9 from beyond the first arc.
Alex Cabagnot delivered 14 points, three rebounds, and three assists as the 41-year-old appeared to be the thorn in the side of his former team, until a costly turnover with 25.6 seconds left to play hurt the FiberXers’ comeback hopes.
Yet they were still in it with the gap being only four points, but Deschon Winston missed his potential game-tying shot from the 27-foot arc.
It didn’t help, too, that Jones fumbled Cabagnot’s effort to secure the miss as Cruz came up with the crucial steal against the import. He then ran all the way to the other side of the court as the squad avoided an ego-crushing upset.
The Scores:
San Miguel 109 – Fajardo 40, Anosike 23, Perez 10, Rosales 9, Trollano 7, Lassiter 6, Cruz 6, Tautuaa 5, Romeo 3, Enciso 0.
Converge 105 – Jones 29, Stockton 22, Santos 16, Cabagnot 14, Winston 8, Arana 8, Delos Santos 4, Nieto 2, Caralipio 2, Ambohot 0.
Quarterscores: 22-34, 54-57, 89-87, 109-105.
