MANILA, Philippines – The one-two punch of import Arizona Reid and reigning PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo led the San Miguel Beermen past the Star Hotshots, 109-100, on Sunday, July 31, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
San Miguel held off a late rally by Star in the final period to bounce back from its loss to Mahindra and move up to 3-1 in the Governors’ Cup standings. The Hotshots slipped to 1-3.
Reid finished with 34 points, 11 assists, 5 steals, and 4 rebounds, while Fajardo added 28 points and 13 boards in a game where the Beermen forced 25 turnovers from Star which led to 24 points.
Alex Cabagnot also played well with 21 points and 7 boards, while Chris Ross had 14 points and 10 assists.
The Hotshots actually got within 5, 88-83, after a PJ Simon basket. San Miguel, which led by as much as 19, avoided the meltdown thanks to timely baskets by Fajardo and Cabagnot.
Marcio Lassiter’s jumper with 3:59 left made it a 100-88 game, which Star couldn’t bounce back from.
James Yap led the Hotshots with 20 points, while import Marqus Blakely had 15 points and 21 rebounds, but also 10 turnovers.
Scores:
San Miguel (109): Reid 34, Fajardo 28, Cabagnot 21, Ross 14, Lassiter 7, De Ocampo 3, Tubid 2, Arana 0, David 0, Reyes 0
Star (100): Yap 20, Blakely 15, Garcia 14, Melton 14, Barroca 11, Simon 10, Pingris 6, Mallari 4, Reavis 4, Maliksi 2, Pascual 0, Sangalang 0
Quarter scores: 32-20, 56-39, 83-70, 109-100 – Rappler.com