June Mar Fajardo unloaded a monster of a game last
night as the Beermen throttle the Sorento, while the Aces had their first taste
of defeat at the hands of Barako Bull in the 2014-2015 PBA Philippine Cup.
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| June Mar Fajardo starred for SMB, while Denok Miranda stole the show against Alaska last night. |
Game Capsules (adapted from InterAKTV):
BARAKO BULL ENERGY over ALASKA ACES, 85-78
The Barako Bull Energy scored a big upset win,
handing erstwhile unbeaten Alaska its first loss of the season, 85-78. Denok
Miranda scored 21 points, 16 in a big first half for Barako Bull, while RR
Garcia added 18 as they improved to 2-5. Miranda finished with an 8-for-10
shooting clip from the field and 4-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc. The
Energy dominated the the Aces in the first half, leading by 18 at the half on
the strength of a 29-13 second quarter. They had to hold off a fourth quarter
charge from Alaska, though, but got a clutch basket from Miranda, who knocked
down a pull-up jumper over JV Casio that made it 81-73 with 50 seconds left.
Jake Pascual also impressed for Barako, chipping in 12 points and 9 rebounds.
Alaska was plagued by 19 turnovers and poor shooting from the field (39%),
which offset the Aces’ rebounding edge, 50-45. Calvin Abueva led Alaska once
again with 16 points, 12 boards, and 7 assists, but he did commit 6 turnovers.
Other guys who scored in double-digits were Vic Manuel and JV Casio, who
rattled in 15 and 13 markers respectively.
Line of the
Game: Calvin Abueva - 16 points, 12
rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 6/11 FGs.
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| Denok Miranda caught fire as the Energy deflated the Aces. |
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| RR Garcia stepped up as well as Barako got win #2 in the tournament. |
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| Sonny Thoss and the rest of Alaska were left to rue their chance to move up to 7-0. |
SAN MIGUEL BEERMEN over KIA SORENTO, 90-74
PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo turned in a dominating
performance, scoring a career-high 36 points and grabbing 17 rebounds as his
San Miguel Beermen cruised to a 90-74 victory over expansion team Kia. With the
win, San Miguel moved into share of first place, tying Alaska at 6-1. Fajardo
shot 13-for-15 from the field and even hit a three-pointer from the left corner
that gave his team a 19-point lead with 3:37 left in the game. His performance
more than made up for a subpar performance from former MVP Arwind Santos, who
shot just 1-for-9 to finish with three points. Marcio Lassiter backed Fajardo
up with 16 points, including three three-pointers, while Chris Lutz and Ronald
Pascual added nine apiece. The Sorento hung tough with the Beermen in the first
half, trailing by just a solitary point, 39-38, at the break. Rei Cervantes and
JR Buensuceso paced Kia with a combined 27 markers. Controversy plagued the
Sorento here as they let go of erstwhile productive players Rudy Lingganay and
Hans Thiele prior to the game.
Line of the
Game: June Mar Fajardo - 36 points,
17 rebounds, 13/15 FGs.
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| JE Buensuceso tries to get past the defense of Chris Ross. |
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| June Mar Fajardo was unstoppable for SMB. |
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| Marcio Lassiter challenges the defense of LA Revilla. |
All images are by Paul Ryan Tan/Sports5.
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