San Miguel Beer wasted little time putting its latest setback behind it.
After seeing its momentum halted by TNT in its previous outing, the Beermen responded with one of their most complete performances of the conference, overpowering Converge, 126-114, on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to strengthen their position in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup.
The victory lifted San Miguel to a 5-2 record in Group A while handing the FiberXers a fourth straight defeat after they opened the conference with three consecutive victories.
The game was anything but comfortable early on.
Converge stayed within striking distance throughout the first two quarters and even trailed by just a point, 65-64, at halftime as Jamaal Franklin, Justin Arana, and Calvin Abueva kept the FiberXers within striking distance.
But everything changed after the break.
San Miguel turned the third quarter into a statement, exploding for 37 points while limiting Converge to only 21. What had been a tightly contested battle suddenly became a double-digit lead as the Beermen stormed ahead, 102-85, entering the fourth.
Converge attempted one last push behind Abueva’s aggressive scoring late in the game, but every rally was answered by George King, who repeatedly delivered baskets whenever the FiberXers threatened to make things interesting.
The import finished with a conference-high 46 points along with 14 rebounds, six assists, and three steals in another dominant all-around performance.
While King’s scoring grabbed the headlines, San Miguel’s balance proved equally important.
The Beermen received 27 points from Don Trollano, while reigning MVP June Mar Fajardo quietly orchestrated the offense with a near triple-double of five points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists.
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George King is best player, LAKI PLAYer of the game.#PBA50 #PBA50LID pic.twitter.com/C76OxwU8Q1
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Head coach Leo Austria pointed to that collective effort as the biggest reason behind the bounce-back win.
“The reason for this win, I think we’re able to balance the scoring. If you imagine, ang bench points namin 63, and that’s what I’m looking for sa team,” Austria said during the post-game press conference.
“At the same time, we’re able to limit the fastbreak points of our opponent, which I think Converge is very good at the fastbreak. Another thing is the turnover, very limited, and we have a lot of assists.”
The numbers backed up Austria’s assessment.
San Miguel committed just nine turnovers while preventing Converge from getting easy transition opportunities, limiting the FiberXers to only 12 fastbreak points — a significant achievement against one of the league’s fastest-paced teams.
Converge, meanwhile, continued searching for answers after another frustrating outing.
Franklin and Abueva each finished with 26 points, while Justine Baltazar added 21 and Justin Arana chipped in 17, but the FiberXers had no response for San Miguel’s third-quarter avalanche.
Instead of snapping their losing skid, Converge saw its early-season promise fade further as its losing streak reached four games, while the Beermen reminded the rest of the league why they remain among the top championship contenders despite recent setbacks.
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