Fajardo shrugs off nasty cut to help SMB avoid 0-2 hole
Blood coming from a nasty cut above the right eye trickled down June Mar Fajardo’s face as he scored against a Ginebra double team underneath the basket.
Fajardo took an inadvertent elbow from San Miguel Beer import Elijah Millsap in the second quarter, but not even a gash and a bandage limiting his vision could slow down the most dominant Filipino player today.
“My vision was blurry so I kept wiping it and there’s blood coming out,” said Fajardo in Filipino after leading the Beermen to a 95-92 win over the Gin Kings Wednesday night to level their semifinals series at 1-1.
READ: Beermen squeak past Gin Kings to tie semis series
The 26-year-old Fajardo was a man among boys with 18 points, 23 rebounds and two blocks.
Fajardo also said he’s going to get the cut stitched up at a hospital nearby.
“I will have it stitched because it’s a big and deep cut,” said Fajardo, who sported a bandage to cover up the cut.
Fajardo said his motivation to be at his best wasn’t having to play through with a cut, but it was simply due to the fact that the Beermen couldn’t afford to be down 2-0 in a best-of-five duel.
“Our biggest motivation is we’re trailing.”
Game 3 is on Friday, 7 p.m., at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“Whoever wins Game 3 will have a big chance of making it to the finals.”
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