Beermen stymie winless FiberXers

MANILA, Philippines -- The San Miguel Beermen pulled away late and kept the gritty Converge FiberXers winless in the PBA Season 48 Commissioner's Cup, defeating them 105-96 Saturday at the Tiaong Convention Center in Tiaong, Quezon.

San Miguel took an 18-point lead, 70-52, in the 4:10 mark of the third quarter following a layup by reigning Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo.

But the FiberXers ended the quarter with a 15-4 run to cut the lead to just seven, 74-67, with a pair of free throws by Aljun Melecio.

A 3-pointer by Mac Tallo with 7:26 remaining in the game cut San Miguel's lead to just one, 84-85.

The Beermen then got energized, unleashing eight straight points capped by an and-one play by Fajardo as they regained a nine-point lead, 93-84, with 5:40 left.

The lead grew to double-digits anew, but Converge did not go down that easily.

They cut the lead to seven multiple times in the final minutes but failed to overtake the Beermen.

San Miguel's Ivan Aska led San Miguel with 28 points and 11 rebounds, while CJ Perez and Fajardo chipped in 24 and 22 points, respectively.

Aljun Melecio finished with 17 points off the bench for Converge, with import Tom Vodanovich and rookie Bryan Santos adding 11 points apiece.

San Miguel is now holding a 2-1 win-loss slate, while Converge dropped to 0-4.