Converge’s Justin Araña fights for the ball against San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo. PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—San Miguel was left stunned in the final quarter with the ouster of star player June Mar Fajardo in their 107-103 loss against Converge in the PBA Governors’ Cup tournament at Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday.
While the Beermen were forced to find other ways to keep their five-game winning streak alive after Fajardo fouled out at the 2:57 mark of the fourth quarter, the FiberXers felt the game was already theirs for the taking—because, after all, taking the six-time PBA MVP out, was their plan from the onset.
“We wanted to take June Mar away from the game right away so I told the boys to play their game. I told them to make sure to get their pace and [Fajardo] to be a liability on their defense,” said coach Aldin Ayo.
“He’s probably the best player in terms of offense but even he has lapses. Everybody knows it, that’s the trade-off. We wanted to exploit that,” he added.
The FiberXers not only forced Fajardo to pick up his sixth foul, but they also held him in check.
Fajardo had already played close to 31 minutes before he fouled out with just seven points on four attempts from the field. He did have 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Ayo commended his big men Justin Araña and Barkley Eboña for containing Fajardo and limiting his touches in the paint.
“Justin played well and I think Jamaal (Franklin) is also doing very well in motivating him because during practices, he keeps on giving Justin advice. It’s a good thing he listened to Jamaal, especially in the finish. Not only Justin, even Barkley, he contributed and played well.”
Araña, the former Arellano star, gave the Beermen fits on both ends, finishing with a near double-double of nine points and eight boards while Eboña served as a sparkplug off the bench, bullying his way to eight points and nine rebounds.
Franklin also had his turn to defend Fajardo in the payoff period. He led Converge with 37 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
“[On] this one, we learned. We were able to put the right players at the right spots and during crucial situations, we made good decisions down the stretch,” said Ayo after steering the FiberXers to a 5-1 record.
The win put Converge in a three-way tie for second place with San Miguel and TNT behind top team Ginebra (3-0).