PBA: Fajardo leads the way as Beermen defeat Express

The San Miguel Beermen grounded the Air21 Express, 101-99, and kept the door open for a twice-to-beat quarterfinals berth in the 2014 PBA Governors’ Cup on Saturday at the Alonte Sports Arena in Biñan, Laguna.

Both teams ended the elimination round with a 5-4 card, good for fifth in the standings for the meantime. The winner of the Rain or Shine (5-3) versus San Mig Coffee (5-3) matchup on Monday will join Talk N’ Text (6-2) and Ginebra (5-3) in the top three spots. Either San Miguel, Air21, and possibly Alaska (4-4) will be in the hunt for the last twice-to-beat quarterfinals berth that will be decided via team quotient.

The Express began the game by connecting from the perimeter and denying June Mar Fajardo the ball to stake an early 12-4 lead. But when the shooting dried up and Fajardo willed his way to the hoop, the Beermen’s fortunes changed. Fajardo and Sol Mercado combined for nine straight points, and San Miguel spread the wealth during a 27-11 run to end the first quarter, 31-23.

Air21 ran into trouble with the officiating early in the second, as Asi Taulava and Sean Anthony were called for technical fouls, leading to Anthony’s ejection from the game. Mercado and Reggie Williams alternated playmaking duties for San Miguel, while their defense kept the Express flustered on their end of the floor and stretched the lead to 46-31 on a Williams trey. However, a late effort from Taulava and Dominique Sutton swung the momentum back the Express' way, as they went on a 14-5 run to close the gap by halftime, 51-45.

Sutton’s production carried over to the start of the second half, as he scored seven of their first 12 points. A Joseph Yeo trey knotted the game at 57-all before the Express began to run out of steam anew. Williams was a difference-maker again, giving the Beermen some cushion before both teams went tit-for-tat down the stretch to hold a 75-68 lead entering the fourth.

San Miguel’s big men were in foul trouble at the start of the fourth, as Taulava drew Fajardo’s fifth personal on Air21’s second possession. The Express were determined to take the ball inside, trailing 78-73 after a Mac Cardona layup, before the backcourt tandem of Mercado and Chris Ross gummed up their offense. The two point guards forced several turnovers and orchestrated fast break finishes during a 12-2 run, establishing a 90-75 lead with seven minutes left.

Aldrech Ramos responded with a three-pointer, and the duo of Sutton and Taulava powered through some tentative defense. However, the two were simply outclassed by the Beermen down the stretch. Taulava’s split charities made it a 93-83 game with 2:13 left, but San Miguel responded with a Fajardo and-one and a Mercado triple to put the game out of reach. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

San Miguel Beer 101 - Williams 27, Fajardo 20, Mercado 16, Ross 11, Santos 10, Kramer 9, Tubid 6, Chua 2, Lutz 0, Maierhofer 0, Lassiter 0

Air21 88 - Sutton 26, Taulava 18, Yeo 12, Ramos 12, Cardona 6, Poligrates 6, J. Villanueva 6, Borboran 2, Atkins 0, Anthony 0, E. Villanueva 0, Camson 0, Menor 0

Quarter scoring: 31-23, 51-45, 75-68, 101-88