Perez, Fajardo tow SMB past Meralco for 2-1 series lead

CJ Perez and Junemar Fajardo proved to be reliable for San Miguel as they led the Beermen past the Meralco Bolts, 96-91, in Game 3 of the best-of-seven semifinals series of the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Perez tallied 26 points while Fajardo hauled 21 points and 16 rebounds for a double-double performance.

Up by only six points with half a minute left in the game, free throws from Perez and Fajardo late in the game cemented the win despite Chris Newsome's personal five-point run.

Jericho Cruz and Vic Manuel were the only other players who scored in double digits for SMB with 15 and 11 points each.

Newsome made 16 points for the Bolts while Allein Maliksi and Aaron Black had 15 points each. Cliff Hodge registered 13 boards on top of 12 markers in the loss.

The Beermen will head to Game 4 of the series on Wednesday with a 2-1 lead.

The Scores:

SMB 96 – Perez 26, Fajardo 21, Cruz 15, Manuel 11, Ross 8, Tautuaa 8, Brondial 4, Lassiter 3, Enciso 0, Herndon 0.

Meralco 91 – Newsome 16, Maliksi 15, Black 15, Hodge 12, Jose 9, Banchero 8, Quinto 4, Almazan 4, Pasaol 2, Baclao 2.

Quarter scores: 25-24, 46-42, 71-66, 96-91.

—MGP, GMA News