The PBA’s remaining founding member had another good reason to celebrate Wednesday evening.
June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez made sure of that.
The San Miguel Beer duo combined for more than half of their team’s total in a 110-98 victory over defending champion Meralco in the Philippine Cup at the fabled Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
On a retro-themed golden anniversary celebration that featured throwback uniforms, old-school arena announcing and vintage television graphics, the Beermen offered another call-back to a not-so-distant past: They got off to a 2-0 start that dug up memories of their dominant all-Filipino run that started a decade ago.
Perez had 29 points and Fajardo added 28 with 10 rebounds as San Miguel weathered a strong comeback by Meralco for the victory.
“When [the Bolts] were able to cut the lead to two, it was really a scary moment,” said San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria, who won the Rookie of the Year award 10 years after the PBA was born. “But I’m so happy for them because they didn’t lose their composure since the start and we were able to dictate the tempo of the game.”
The victory came on the night San Miguel celebrated the league’s 50th birthday by donning throwback uniforms from the 1982 season when the Beermen claimed the Invitational title behind Norman Black, who was on the other side as Meralco’s consultant.
Meralco, on the other hand, sported replicas from its 1971 Micaa (Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association) Open Conference championship run, but ended up with a first defeat in the tournament after back-to-back victories to kick off their title defense.
The Beermen matched the start of the Magnolia Hotshots, who were led by Ian Sangalang in an 83-71 victory over the Converge FiberXers in the earlier game.
Thankful for teammates
Sangalang said he was glad to have plenty of help in putting Magnolia off to a 2-0 start that could serve as a good omen for the team moving forward.
“I’m thankful for those two,” Sangalang said, referring to sophomore forward Zavier Lucero and seldom-used Russel Escoto.
Lucero equaled Sangalang’s output with 18 points, while Escoto dropped all of his 11 in the second quarter, which allowed the Hotshots to secure the lead.
But in the end, Sangalang made sure Magnolia would sustain its edge, even against the younger frontline duo of Justin Arana and fellow Cabalen Justine Baltazar, with his trademark moves in the post.
“When they are playing well, they give me room to operate inside,” Sangalang said.
San Miguel stormed off to a strong start in the match, but rookie guard Kurt Reyson sparked a Bolts uprising late in the third when the Beermen’s lead dwindled to 77-75 entering the final period.
But Fajardo and Perez combined for 18 points in the final canto, and San Miguel broke away anew to take the win and set up a tasty showdown with Magnolia on April 16.
“We’re so happy because we were able to rise to the kind of intensity that [the Hotshots] were displaying and you can see it in our game,” Austria said. “And I’m expecting that it will be an exciting game.”
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Perez also had five rebounds, four assists and two steals while Fajardo grabbed 10 rebounds with four assists.
Chris Newsome scored 27 points on top of four rebounds, seven assists and two steals for the Bolts. Reyson added 14 for Meralco.
