The San Miguel Beermen fought their way to a 111-101 victory over the Meralco Bolts in Game 4 on Wednesday night, leveling the 48th Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup finals series at 2-2.
June Mar Fajardo, inspired by his recent Best Player of the Conference award, delivered an outstanding performance with 28 points and 13 rebounds. His contributions were crucial in the Beermen’s effort to equalize the series at the Araneta Coliseum.
Despite getting into foul trouble, Fajardo remained a dominant force in the paint. He scored four of his eight points in the final 12 minutes during the last four minutes of the game, showcasing his resilience and impact.
Chris Newsome of the Meralco Bolts put up a career-high 40 points and continued to score in the fourth quarter, adding 15 points. However, his efforts were not enough to close the gap with the Beermen.
“It’s a great win for us. We just tied the series. Before this game, we talked about a lot of stuff. If we trust each other and share the ball, our offense will come. And it showed in this game,” said San Miguel’s coach Jorge Gallent.
A crucial triple from Marcio Lassiter and a putback by Fajardo with 3:49 remaining gave the Beermen a comfortable lead of 99-90 in the final period.
The Beermen began to take control in the last minute of the second period when Fajardo scored six points during a 9-0 run, giving them a 51-40 halftime advantage.
CJ Perez also contributed significantly with 22 points, including a driving layup with 4:53 left, which extended their lead to 69-58.
Lassiter finished with 18 points, and his consecutive three-pointers in the final 6:33, along with Don Trollano’s trey at 6:13, maintained the Beermen’s lead at 67-55.
For the Bolts, Chris Banchero and Cliff Hodge scored 21 and 17 points, respectively. They will aim to regain the pivotal series lead in Game 5 on Friday.