June Mar Fajardo carries San Miguel on his back
San Miguel Beermen’s June Mar Fajardo against Converge defenders during the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—When Converge thought San Miguel Beer would draw up more complex plays in Game 5 of the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals, the Beermen went back to basics.
And that meant turning to their star big man and eight-time league MVP June Mar Fajardo.
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“We just gave him his touches because he’s really a great player so we took advantage of that situation. We know [that] when he gets doubled, he’ll be a good passer. That’s what he did today,” said Gallent following their 109-105 win over Converge at Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo on Sunday.
READ: PBA: San Miguel outlasts Converge, faces Ginebra in semifinals
“We just went to him and he just decided what to do inside the court. If he was doubled, he’d pass and if not, he’d go straight to the basket. My hats off to June Mar in this game. He played his heart out.”
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In a game that decided the last semifinal berth, Fajardo dominated with a monster double-double of 40 points and 24 rebounds.
Fajardo’s 40-piece in the do-or-die game was the reigning MVP’s conference high in points and it came in a timely manner for the Beermen, who were on the verge of being eliminated.
While the numbers were flashy as they were, Fajardo admitted that getting there was anything but easy.
READ: June Mar Fajardo extends record with 8th PBA MVP
“What Converge did was tough because when Justin (Arana) drives, their big shooters would come in so that’s where I had difficulty,” said the San Miguel Beer mainstay.
Jalen Jones was one of the guys who made life difficult for Fajardo. He finished with a double-double himself with 29 points and 17 rebounds.
Arana, meanwhile, finished with just eight points and six rebounds in the Fibexers’ last-ditch rally to make a deeper run.
Despite his whopping numbers, Fajardo credited the rest of his team in the most important game of SMB’s season so far.
“I give credit to my coaches and teammates because we all stepped up in this game because we all knew it was do-or-die. If we lose, we’d go home but we don’t want to go home yet so we needed to win. That’s what we showed. We’re always reminded to play San Miguel basketball,” he said.
The Beermen earned a semifinal seat to go up against sister team Ginebra in a best-of-seven clash.
