MANILA, Philippines—San Miguel’s quest to a fifth straight PBA Philippine Cup title started off on the wrong note after it absorbed a shock 124-118 loss to ragtag Columbian Friday at Cuneta Astrodome.
What would’ve been a breeze turned into a turbulent wind for the Beermen who fell victim to a team that features zero players on Gilas Pilipinas, a stark contrast to San Miguel’s roster.
But even with any of his teammates capable of leading the team, five-time MVP June Mar Fajardo still rued his poor individual performance in the Beermen’s first game of the season.
“I had a terrible game, I missed a lot of shots, all of my teammates had terrific games, but I played horribly,” said Fajardo in Filipino. “It’s just sad with how the way I performed.”
Fajardo was subjected to the usual double-teams but he regretted the way he failed to fight off those defensive schemes.
The person who made life difficult for Fajardo was Columbian forward Jackson Corpuz, who continuedly popped from the weak side to knock the ball off the center’s hands and force turnovers.
“Corpuz played great defense because he was always at the weak side and I really can’t see him,” said Fajardo who finished with 16 points, on 6-of-15 shooting, 13 rebounds while turning the ball over seven times.
Fajardo was visibly upset that he couldn’t do more for his team whom he said carried much of the burden in the loss.
Arwind Santos, for one, tied his career-high of 34 points with seven rebounds while Marcio Lassiter finished with 25 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
“It’s disappointing because my teammates played great games and they followed the game plan while I had a ton of lapses earlier,” said Fajardo who played much of the time against former teammate JayR Reyes.
Rashawn McCarthy, also a former Beerman, came up big for the Dyip nailing a three-pointer with 1:07 left for Columbian’s 117-113 lead.
McCarthy, who once languished at the San Miguel bench, promptly sealed the game for Columbian when he dove for the loose ball and called a timeout with 35.3 seconds left and the Dyip holding a 120-113 lead.
“Credit to Columbian because that team played great, while I have to improve some more,” said Fajardo. “I have a lot to work out.”