Fajardo, Lanete lift San Miguel past Magnolia

The San Miguel Beermen earned enough splits from the line in the endgame to earn a 77-76 squeaker against the Magnolia Hotshots on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

A Jio Jalalon jumper nudged Magnolia ahead 71-70, at the 1:45 mark, but Chico Lanete rung in a triple and June Mar Fajardo split from the line to put San Miguel ahead by three with 56 seconds remaining.

Three offensive boards from Magnolia led to an Aldrech Ramos make, forcing San Miguel to call a timeout, but Chris Ross couldn't convert from the line.

Fajardo, meanwhile, collared the offensive board for a three-point spread anew.

The Hotshots then went to Jalalon off a timeout, but his shot did not fall. Arwind Santos secured the board, before Marcio Lassiter split for a four-point lead that put the game out of reach.

Mark Barroca led Magnolia with 21 points as a starter, while Ian Sangalang led the bench with 13. Justin Melton was the only other scorer in double figures, though, with 10.

In contrast, all of San Miguel's starters scored in double figures, led by June Mar Fajardo who had 19 points and 21 rebounds in almost 42 minutes on the floor. Chico Lanete and Chris Ross combined for 29 more, while Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos tallied 12 and 11 points, respectively. — DVM, GMA News