San Miguel Beermen’s June Mar Fajardo with a teardrop shot over Converge defenders during the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals. –PBA IMAGES
San Miguel on Sunday night took everything Converge could offer, putting out one fire after another to pull out a 109-105 victory in the deciding Game 5 of the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals.
Buoyed by cornerstone June Mar Fajardo’s 40 points and 24 rebounds, the Beermen denied the FiberXers a monumental upset at Ynares Center in Antipolo City and completed the semifinals of the import-laden showcase.
“We just went to him and just decided to what to do on the court,” head coach Jorge Gallent said of the reigning Most Valuable Player. “So my hat’s off to June Mar. He played his heart out.”
READ: PBA: Converge coach says ‘momentum is nothing’ vs San Miguel
San Miguel will battle Barangay Ginebra in a best-of-seven Final Four series that gets going Wednesday next week.
“Credit also to Converge for giving us quite the series.,” said Fajardo, who had his fifth career 40-point outing. “We all stepped up because we knew this is do-or-die. We just had to win.”
Converge looked like it was poised for a shocker at the hilltop arena until Fajardo got to work in the second half, pouring 18 points of his total in the two final frames.
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Alex Cabagnot, a former San Miguel star, also turned in his finest outing, his efforts going down the drain in the final 2:11 as the FiberXers’ shooting conked out when it mattered most.
Import EJ Anosike had 23 points and 10 rebounds, while CJ Perez added 10 points, six rebound and nine assists for the Beermen, who arrested their two-game slide in the playoffs in perhaps the most critical moment off their campaign.
Converge import Jalen Jones led the way with 29 points and 17 rebound, but scored zero point in the payoff period. Alec Stockton chipped in 22 points, Bryan Santos added 16 while Cabagnot 14 at a time that the club missed Schonny Winston’s scoring.
Winston only had eight points in the losing stand that should still serve as a nifty springboard for the franchise as it continues to grow toward being a contender.