June Mar Fajardo continues to wreak havoc as San Miguel draws first blood against Rain or Shine in their side of the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup semifinals.
June Mar Fajardo capitalized on his size advantage as San Miguel edged Rain or Shine, 101-98, to draw first blood in their best-of-seven semifinal encounter in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup semifinals at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay on Friday, May 17.
Fajardo went to work and battered the Elasto Painters' bigs inside the paint, finishing with 23 points and 11 rebounds he laced with five assists, three blocks and a steal.
It was Fajardo’s 12th double-double outing this conference.
“Credit sa coaching staff, sa mga teammates ko. Nag-step up kami sa game na 'to. Collective effort,” said Fajardo.
The win did not come easy for the Beermen, though.
After CJ Perez bunched together six straight points to give San Miguel a 99-91 lead heading into the final 3:30, Rain or Shine rallied behind Gian Mamuyac, Jhonard Clarito and Andrei Caracut to keep the Beermen on their toes.
Staring at just a three-point deficit, 98-101, with 31.4 ticks remaining, the Elasto Painters took advantage of a botched open triple from Don Trollano, with Caracut attempting to execute Rain or Shine's final play in the last 11 seconds but his shot from 30-feet rimmed out.
Before the back-and-forth fourth quarter battle, Marcio Lassiter lit up for San Miguel and finished with 16 points on four triples. He needs three more to leapfrog LA Tenorio and take the No. 3 spot in the all-time leaders in three-pointers made.
Terrence Romeo and Perez added 14 and 13 points, respectively, for the Beermen.
Meanwhile, Mamuyac followed up a sterling play in the Elasto Painters' against TNT in the quarterfinals with a 20-point, seven-rebound, three-assist and two-steal performance which went for naught.
Beau Belga added 17 points and seven boards for Rain or Shine.
Rain or Shine looks to rebound quickly on Game Two on Sunday, May 19, at the same venue.
The Scores:
SAN MIGUEL 101 – Fajardo 23, Trollano 17, Lassiter 16, Romeo 14, Perez 13, Tautuaa 7, Brondial 6, Teng 3, Cruz 2, Ross 0, Enciso 0
RAIN OR SHINE 98 – Mamuyac 20, Belga 17, Clarito 13, Santillan 13, Caracut 9, Demusis 6, Datu 6, Borboran 5, Ildefonso 4, Asistio 3, Norwood 2, Nocum 0, Peredes 0
Quarterscores: 31-24, 49-44, 82-78, 101-98