Fajardo, Santos help Beermen escape Floodbuster
PBA IMAGES
San Miguel needed to survive winless Mahindra in a 94-91 thriller to grab a share of the top spot in the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Still struggling to find their old form, the Beermen had to battle back from an early 13-point deficit, 24-11, before Arwind Santos and June Mar Fajardo teamed up in the clutch to pull off the escape act.
Alex Mallari still had a chance to force overtime with his desperation three at the buzzer, but he missed the mark as the Floodbusters fell to their fourth straight defeat.
Fajardo tallied a double-double with 28 points and 15 rebounds, while Santos got 18 markers and nine boards to help San Miguel improve to 3-1.
Alex Cabagnot also chimed in 15 points and five rebounds in the win.
“This is a good lesson for us. We can’t underestimate any team in the PBA because every team is already strong,” said coach Leo Austria.
“We’re lucky that we still won. Whether it’s 50 points or one point, it’s still a win. I’ll take it to my heart.”
Mallari topped Mahindra with 21 points and eight rebounds, while Joseph Eriobu had 17 markers and six boards in the loss.
The scores:
SAN MIGUEL 94 – Fajardo 28, Santos 18, Cabagnot 15, Tubid 10, Garcia 9, Lassiter 8, Ross 4, Espinas 2, Agovida 0, Reyes 0, McCarthy 0, De Ocampo 0.
MAHINDRA 91 – Mallari 21, Eriobu 17, Revilla 15, Escoto 10, Yee 8, Ballesteros 5, DiGregorio 3, Guevarra 3, Teng 3, Paniamogan 2, Salva 2, Arana 2, Celda 0, Webb 0.
Quarters: 26-15, 47-49, 71-66, 94-91.
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