George King exploded for a conference-high 46 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists, powering San Miguel to another dominant third-quarter surge as the Beermen repeated over the free-falling Converge FiberXers, 126-114, to return to the win column in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Wednesday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
King poured in 15 points during the decisive third quarter, leading San Miguel’s 37-point explosion. That turned a slim 65-64 halftime lead into a commanding 102-85 advantage entering the fourth.
It mirrored the Beermen’s third-quarter outburst against Titan Ultra last July 29, effectively putting the game out of reach.
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What had been a tightly-contested affair quickly became a one-sided contest. San Miguel vented its frustration following a tough 93-89 overtime loss to Kim Aurin and TNT last Saturday in Pasay City.
The victory lifted the Beermen to 5-2, keeping them in second place in Group A. On the other hand, the FiberXers slid to their fourth straight defeat, falling to 3-4.
More than snapping back into the win column, however, the triumph also marked the return of Leo Austria to the sidelines after he missed the team’s first six games while recovering from a heart procedure before the conference.
“Thank God I was able to have another opportunity to coach the team. And I would like to thank the people who helped me for saving my life,” said Austria.
Don Trollano provided a huge spark off the bench with 27 points, while Jerrick Ahanmisi added 15 markers, highlighted by an efficient 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc.
June Mar Fajardo impacted the game in other ways, finishing with just five points but stuffing the stat sheet with 21 rebounds and 10 assists for an unusual double-double.
“He’s not thinking of himself. He let his teammates score while concentrating on getting the rebounds and issuing assists,” Austria said of the nine-time MVP.
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Jamaal Franklin paced Converge with 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Calvin Abueva matched those totals in arguably his best performance since joining the franchise.
Justine Baltazar contributed 19 points and eight rebounds, and Justin Arana posted 17 points and 10 boards. Juan Gomez de Liaño flirted with a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists in the loss.
The Scores:
San Miguel 126 – King 46, Trollano 27, Ahanmisi 15, Lassiter 9, Cruz 9, Brondial 8, Fajardo 5, Tautuaa 4, Ross 3, Cahilig 0, Teng 0.
Converge 114 – Franklin 26, Abueva 26, Baltazar 19, Arana 17, Gomez de Liano 12, Garcia 4, Concepcion 3, Policarpio 3, Stockton 2, Williams 2, Eguilos 0.
Quarterscores: 31-28, 65-64, 102-85, 126-114.
