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MANILA: Six-foot-10 Cebuano behemoth June Mar Fajardo was dominant in San Miguel Beermen’s season opener as they held off Phoenix Fuel Masters, 111-107, in their PBA Governors’ Cup battle on Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Fajardo finished with 37 points on 14-of-18 field goals and 24 rebounds to lead the Beermen in a game where the four-pointer became vital in the clutch.
Just up one with 1:06 left, they got a huge boost from CJ Perez when he hit a crucial right-wing four-pointer with 56.6 seconds to up the lead to five, 110-105.
Jason Perkins hit two free throws to cut the lead down to three, 110-107, with 44.4 seconds remaining.
The Fuel Masters then forced Perez to airball a long two and rushed back to their offensive zone for a chance to inch closer.
Ricci Rivero, who was stellar in the fourth quarter, tried to retake the lead for them, but he missed his four-point attempt and Fajardo grabbed the crucial rebound.
Fajardo still gave Phoenix a chance to force overtime as
he split his free throws with 4.6 seconds remaining, but Tyler Tio’s halfcourt heave only hit the backboard before time ran out.
Fajardo also tallied four assists, two blocks, and two steals, while Jordan Adams added 24 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and four steals for SMB.
Perez finished with 21 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
Perkins finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, and two assists, while Jay McKinnis put up 13 points, 15 rebounds, one assist, and two blocks for Phoenix.
In the first game, Scotty Hopson had himself a night in his PBA debut as he led Converge to a 127-95 blowout win against Terrafirma.
The 35-year-old veteran hit 46 points, hitting a perfect 3-for-3 from the new four-point range, eight rebounds, and three assists for the FiberXers, who gave Franco Atienza a win in his head coaching debut.
“What you saw tonight was a combination of our efforts in the preseason,” said Hopson, who still got to be coached by Aldin Ayo during the Kadayawan Invitational Basketball Tour
nament before Atienza replaced him as head coach.
The deciding factor was the third quarter, wherein Converge outscored Terrafirma, 47-18, to pull away for good.
“Scoring that much, I say, is an offshoot of how we defended,” Atienza said.
Hopson finished 18-of-24 from the field as he too tallied one steal and two blocks.
Alec Stockton led the FiberXers’ locals with 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting.
Stanley Pringle fired 19 points on 7-of-14 field goals, four rebounds, seven assists, and one steal in his first game for the Dyip.
Returning players Antonio Hester and Kevin Ferrer each added 18 points with Hester also grabbing 10 rebounds.
Christian Standhardinger also had a solid Terrafirma debut with 17 points.
Source: Philippines News agency
