Fajardo’s buzzer beater hands ROS first loss of the conference
JuneMar Fajardo scored another highlight for his illustrious career as he sank a buzzer-beating jumper to lead San Miguel Beermen in giving Rain or Shine Elasto Painters their first loss of the season, 113-112 on Thursday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
SMB was in trouble when Chris Ross fouled Felix Lemetti at the four-point area and the Rain or Shine rookie made all his free throws to give the Elasto Painters a one-point lead.
Then, the heroics of the 8x MVP came when he sprinted down the court, received the forward pass from CJ Perez, and drained the game-winner.
"Tsamba na lang yon (it’s just a lucky shot)," said Fajardo of his game-winning 12-footer, foiling the Elasto Painters' sweep bid in the first round of the PBA Governors Cup eliminations.
"Dying seconds, kailangan itira. Mabuti pumasok (Dying seconds, need to take the shot. good thing it went in)," added Fajardo, saving the Beermen from what could have been a sorry loss in the game they set the pace most of the way.
Beside the final shot at the buzzer, “The Kraken” produced another monster game with 27 points and 19 rebounds to lift the Beermen to a 3-2, tied for the second spot with NLEX in Group B.
JMF’s winning moment also preserved the 41 points tallied by SMB’s import Jordan Adams who also made a crucial jumper during their see-saw battle at the closing minutes of the game.
Even though Rain or Shine suffered their first loss of the conference, Coach Yeng Guiao still managed to smile as his team almost stole the game from the mighty Beermen.
The Filipino-Swedish rookie Lemetti led the Elasto Painters with 28 points highlighted by 5-of-6 three-pointers, 1-of-1 from four-point area, and his final four freebies that almost sealed the game.
Aaron Fuller continued to be consistent and played big with his 24 markers and 18 boards.
The scores:
San Miguel 113 – Adams 41, Fajardo 27, Perez 10, Cruz 10, Trollano 9, Lassiter 6, Tautuaa 4, Romeo 4, Rosales 2, Ross 0.
Rain or Shine 112 – Lemetti 28, Fuller 24, Nocum 21, Mamuyac 12, Datu 10, Caracut 6, Clarito 4, Santillan 3, Belga 2, Norwood 2.
QUARTERS: 33-28 , 55-53, 86-80, 113-112.
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