By REYNALD MAGALLON
The huge 6-foot-10 frame of June Mar Fajardo was sprawled on the floor after he got outbalanced while trying to run back on the defense following a tough layup.
He was not hurt but he was visibly exhausted as he stayed for a few more seconds to catch his breath.
It took a herculean effort from the eight-time Most Valuable Player for San Miguel to survive and knock out an upset-minded Converge, 109-105, in the winner-take-all Game 5 of their PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup quarterfinals at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Sunday, Oct. 6.
Fajardo single-handedly carried the Beermen on his broad shoulders with monster numbers of 40 points and 24 rebounds to go with four assists and a block to deny the FiberXers a reverse sweep of their best-of-five series and tow his team to fifth straight semifinals appearance.
Import EJ Anosike provided support with 23 points – including timely hits that proved to be enough to fan the hopes of Converge which was gunning for its franchise’s first-ever semis stint after recovering from a 0-2 hole in the quarters series.
CJ Perez had 10 points, nine assists and six rebounds laced with two steals and without a single turnover in the deciding contest that arranged SMB a clash with Barangay Ginebra in the next round.
That, however, did not come without a huge scare.
With the Beermen seemingly in a world of trouble after trailing 99-91 midway through the final frame, the Cebuano gentle giant, who threw his weight around inside the paint the middle quarters with 18 in the second and 11 in the third, scored two huge layups to keep the Beermen within striking distance.
Playing through Fajardo, SMB then unloaded an 11-3 spurt to suddenly command a 106-102 lead with 2:59 left. Brimming with confidence from their last two wins, Converge was hardly rattled and responded with a booming trey from Alec Stockton.
Free throws from San Miguel – two from Anosike and one from Fajardo – kept a 109-105 cushion for the Beermen with 37 seconds left.
Converge had its chances but turned the ball over twice down the stretch: first on an inbound play on Alex Cabagnot, and the second when import Jalen Jones lost the ball to Jericho Cruz in their final possession.
Jones finished with 29 points and 17 rebounds in the losing effort while Stockton added 22 points and eight assists. Bryan Santos had his moments with 16 while Cabagnot chipped in 14.
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.
QUARTERS : 22-34, 54-57, 89-87, 109-105
