San Miguel Beer answered one of its biggest early-season tests with the kind of offensive explosion expected from a championship contender.
Facing a previously unbeaten Converge squad that had been one of the hottest teams in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup, the Beermen leaned on the dynamic duo of George King and Cjay Perez to pull away for a 128-122 victory Wednesday night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The win improved San Miguel to 3-0, allowing the Beermen to join NLEX atop the Group B standings ahead of their highly anticipated showdown on Sunday. Converge, meanwhile, absorbed its first defeat of the conference after opening with three straight victories.
King once again proved why he has quickly become one of the league’s most dominant imports, erupting for 41 points on an efficient 16-of-32 shooting performance. Perez complemented him perfectly with 31 points, highlighted by a deep buzzer-beating four-pointer that punctuated a pivotal third-quarter surge.
San Miguel appeared headed for a comfortable evening after King and Perez combined for 23 first-quarter points to help build a commanding 27-10 advantage.
But Converge refused to fold.
Behind the steady play of Justin Arana and its relentless attack, the FiberXers erased the early deficit and even grabbed a 57-53 lead late in the second quarter, threatening to hand the Beermen their toughest challenge yet this conference.
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BEERMEN STAY UNBEATEN
Three straight wins para sa San Miguel Beermen as they remained unbeaten and handed the Converge FiberXers their first loss of the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup!#PBA50 #PBA50LID pic.twitter.com/pDUVM619mT
— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) July 22, 2026
That was when San Miguel responded like a veteran title contender.
King and Perez took over after halftime, combining for 44 second-half points as the Beermen unleashed a decisive 41-point third quarter. Perez put an exclamation point on the period by drilling a four-point shot at the buzzer, stretching San Miguel’s cushion and swinging the momentum firmly back to its side.
“I think they came out with a sense of urgency in the second half,” said San Miguel lead assistant Peter Martin, who continued to call the shots with head coach Leo Austria missing his third straight game due to an undisclosed illness.
“In the first half, medyo gigil kami sa first five minutes kaya we got that big lead… One of the things that we have to correct is complacency, Coach Leo, everyday he will tell us that,” Austria said.
Veteran sniper Marcio Lassiter also delivered timely baskets, finishing with 18 points while knocking down three triples, several of which came before halftime to help San Miguel regain control heading into the break.
Converge continued to fight until the final buzzer behind another outstanding effort from Justin Arana, who finished with 29 points and narrowly missed recording his third straight 30-point performance.
Still, San Miguel’s firepower proved too much, as the Beermen remained perfect through three games and sent a message that they remain one of the teams to beat in the race for the Governors’ Cup title.
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