Mighty San Miguel, parading import EJ Anosike for the first time, nearly blows a 16-point fourth-quarter lead with 4 minutes left before denying gutsy Converge a Game 1 PBA quarterfinal comeback
MANILA, Philippines – Mighty San Miguel got off to a winning start in the 2024 PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals, but not before surviving a late scare from scrappy Converge, 102-95, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Thursday, September 26.
Eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo played every bit of the multi-awarded champion he is, leading the way with a massive line of 25 points on 11-of-20 shooting, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals.
Import EJ Anosike, cast to the fire as a late replacement for the injured Jordan Adams, made up for a lackluster 7-of-24 shooting night with a 14-of-16 total from the line on the way to a game-high 28 points, 11 boards, and 5 dimes in his PBA debut.
Kris Rosales, meanwhile, almost single-handedly sparked the Beermen’s third-quarter breakaway with 11 points, all coming in that frame alone. From a small 58-54 lead, the journeyman guard buried two triples and a mid-range jumper to account for 8 points in a 12-4 spurt, 70-58, with 7:59 left.
As San Miguel held that double-digit separation until the game’s waning moments, peaking with a 97-81 gap with 3:51 to play, Converge suddenly brought out the big guns with a surprising 14-2 surge in less than two minutes, capped by a JL delos Santos triple, 95-99, with 57.7 seconds left.
The former JRU guard, however, lost his hero cape almost as soon as he donned it, as he was also responsible for a crucial turnover with 16.6 seconds left that would have gotten Schonny Winston an open corner three attempt.
Anosike then iced the contest with two more free throws off the intentional foul, 101-95, before CJ Perez split his own charity sequence to set the final score.
“We just wanted to close the game really quickly, but we really should’ve just held the ball a bit longer,” said San Miguel head coach Jorge Gallent.
“We made quite a few mistakes coming into the end, that’s why the lead went down to [four]. We just have to have our composure, especially in the endgame. We have to know if we’re up or down so that we know what to do.”
Jalen Jones paced the failed comeback bid with a 22-point, 12-rebound double-double with 4 assists and 2 steals, while Justin Arana and Winston backstopped the effort with 20 and 17 points, respectively.
Delos Santos, meanwhile, finished with 7 points, 5 boards, 3 dimes, and 3 steals in exactly 24 minutes of action.
The Scores
San Miguel 102 – Anosike 28, Fajardo 25, perez 11, Rosales 11, Trollano 6, Cruz 6, Romeo 4, Ross 4, Lassiter 3, Enciso 3, Brondial 1.
Converge 95 – Jones 22, Arana 20, Winston 17, Caralipio 10, Delos Santos 7, Stockton 5, Ambohot 5, Cabagbot 3, Andrade 3, Santos 3, Nieto 0.
Quarters : 30-23, 55-50, 85-72, 102-95.
– Rappler.com
