An All-Filipino San Miguel Beer side arrested its two-game skid after a tough 99-96 squeaker over gritty Blackwater in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City Wednesday night.
June Mar Fajardo went full MVP mode, carrying the Beermen on his broad back with a conference-high 30 points and 13 rebounds.
A decisive 6-0 run down the stretch in the extension gave San Miguel a vital 98-92 lead with 1:10 remaining after a lay-up from Terrence Romeo.
The Elite countered with a 4-0 run, inching to within two, 96-99, with a second left but it eventually ran out of time, enabling the Beermen to escape.
The win placed San Miguel back in the top four as it improved to 6-3 for fourth place.
On the contrary, the loss booted Blackwater out as it remained at the bottom with a 2-8 slate and a game left before its season ends.
Romeo was likewise brilliant all game long, finishing with 20 points to help out Fajardo, while Arwind Santos added 13 more markers for the Beermen.
It seemed like San Miguel was headed for an easy finish when it led 88-79 with just over two minutes left in regulation.
However, three straight triples from Blackwater, two from Nino Canaleta, suddenly evened the count at 88-all with 56 ticks left in the fourth.
Fajardo still had a chance to win it for the Beermen in regulation, but his lay-up did not find the mark, enabling the game to go to an extra period.
Despite playing minus import Dez Wells, the Beermen used their might down the stretch to hack out the needed victory.
Wells missed the game as he is yet to fully recover from his ankle injury.
Blackwater was led by Marqus Blakely’s team-high 24 points and 18 rebounds.
The Elite started its life after former star Bobby Ray Parks, who was dealt to TNT KaTropa in a blockbuster deal last week.
The scores:
San Miguel 99 – Fajardo 30, Romeo 20, Santos 13; Lassiter 11, Cabagnot 8, Pessumal 7, Nabong 6, Tautuaa 4, Rosser 0, Ross 0.
Blackwater 96 – Belo 25, Blakely 24, Trollano 14, Canaleta 13, Cruz 8, Javier 6, Tolomia 4, Sumang 2, Dario 0, Desiderio 0, Cruz 0, Al-Hussaini 0, Salem 0.
Quarterscores: 11-16, 34-37, 64-62, 88-88, 99-96.