Jun Mar Fajardo with another spectacular performance for San Miguel. –PBA PHOTOS SMALL
It took a lot of matches and a fierce end to a surprising opponent in the game, but San Miguel Beer was right where it wanted to be when it caught up back to the PBA Philippine Cup throne: advancing to the qualifiers. directly with the number 1 seed.
The Beermen, facing stubborn resistance from a Terrafirma team that had long been knocked out of the playoffs, switched to Mar Fajardo June in extra time before exiting with a 109-108 win on Thursday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.
And the numbers Fajardo gathered showed exactly what percentage Dyip collected in a game against the Beermen: 26 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists.
“Credit to Terrafirma, their game plan is awesome,” said Six Times Most Valuable Player. “But it’s not just me, who they need to stop. And I think our game plan is just as good. “
Lightest exercise
Marcio Lassiter added 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds while CJ Perez scored 20 points, five rebounds and four steals as San Miguel raked in nine wins in 10 games, well beyond the reach of other teams that were finishing. end of the play-off round.
With the 1st seed, the Beermen will twice defend their capacity to the quarterfinals, and will be assigned the 8th seed. This puts San Miguel at the top of their stated goal for the tournament — the title. champion in the league’s top congress, a championship they won the last five times before the pandemic hit and Fajardo’s injury knocked the team off the top spot.
Beermen assistant coach Jorge Gallent said: “To get to the quarterfinals, we have to be ready.
Fajardo scored nine of the Beermen’s 11 points in stoppage time, as Dyip beat the league’s powerhouse by soliciting contributions from several players.
Rookie Javi Gomez de Liaño, playing the best game of the season, helped Terrafirma match San Miguel, finishing with 19 points. JP Calvo, meanwhile, fueled Terrafirma’s strong resistance in the long run, his two trebles helping Dyip come to a standstill at 98 – forcing an extra round.
Winning game
Eric Camson led Terrafirma with 20 points while Andreas Cahilig, who provided Terrafirma with a lot of hustling and additional assets, finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals.
Allen Mina had 13 points and scored a difficult three and two free throws in extra time — on both occasions, he was followed twice by the Beermen. But Fajardo wiped out that final shortfall with a three-point match that made up the final score with 19 seconds remaining and De Liaño missed a shot in the final seconds as Terrafirma stayed in the bunker with the loss. ninth in a row in many games.
“We just did what we did in the last games: help each other defensively,” said Gallent, who is supporting coach Leo Austria, who was dropped due to the regulations. about the health of the league, said.
The Beermen should have little time to play against Meralco on Sunday and could shut down some of their stars in preparation for the knockout stages. The Beermen is still without Chris Ross and Terrence Romeo due to injury. Vic Manuel returned to play against Dyip but played a few minutes.
“After a [break of a] a week or two, everyone will be ready and coach Leo will be ready by then,” Gallent said. “Everyone [getting] healthy till playoff time [will be] very good for us. “
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