The San Miguel Beermen fought through a grueling and physical encounter to edge out the Converge Fiber Xers, 109-105, in Game 5 of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 49 Governors’ Cup quarterfinals on Sunday.
Led by the dominant inside presence of Junemar Fajardo, who tallied an impressive 40 points and 24 rebounds, the Beermen overcame a two-game losing streak to win the series 3-2 at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.
This victory propels them into the semifinals, where they will face the defending champions, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, in a best-of-seven showdown.
Beermen coach Jorge Gallent emphasized Fajardo’s pivotal role in the victory: “We just gave him our touches. He’s a great post player, and we took advantage of that. When he’s double-teamed, he makes excellent passes,” Gallent said, reflecting on their second consecutive semifinals appearance.
The first game of the much-anticipated semifinal series between the Beermen and the Gin Kings is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Thursday at the Philsports Complex in Pasig City.
Fajardo’s stellar performance was crucial down the stretch.
With 37 seconds remaining, his split from the free-throw line gave the Beermen a four-point cushion, helping secure the win.
Alec Stockton kept Converge in the fight, hitting a crucial three-pointer with 2:11 left to close the gap to 105-106. However, the Beermen pulled away when EJ Anosike sank two clutch free throws with 1:38 to go, sealing the victory at 108-105.
