SMB triumvirate too much for slumping Converge in Tiaong clash
At A Glance
- The San Miguel triumvirate of June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez and import Ivan Aska proved to be too much for the slumping Converge, anchoring a 105-96 victory in the 2023 PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Tiaong Convention Center in Quezon on Saturday, Nov. 25.
The San Miguel triumvirate of June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez and import Ivan Aska proved to be too much for the slumping Converge, anchoring a 105-96 victory in the 2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Tiaong Convention Center in Quezon on Saturday, Nov. 25.

All three Beermen breached the 20-point mark as they completed the wire-to-wire win to notch their second straight win for a 2-1 record in the standings.
Aska led the way for SMB with 28 points and 11 rebounds while CJ Perez added 24 points that also came with 11 boards, five assists and four steals.
Fajardo lorded over the paint with 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals more than making up for the absence of Terrence Romeo, Jeron Teng and Vic Manuel and the still limited minutes to returning gunner Marcio Lassiter.
The dominant win, however, didn’t come without a scare as Converge almost crawling back from a huge 19-point deficit after nailing four-straight triples over the course of a blistering 12-5 run that cut SMB's lead to just one point, 84-85 with 7:24 left in the final frame.
The Beermen, however, went back to their biggest match-up advantage inside the paint in Fajardo, who then scored on an and-1 play to halt the Converge run.
More than that, the seven-time Most Valuable Player simply took over from there scoring a layup and another basket plus the harm to cap a personal 8-0 run that restored order for SMB with 5:40 left
Converge never got into another run to threaten San Miguel as the Beermen kept a seven-point barrier in the final five minutes of the contest, leaving the FiberXers reeling to their fourth-straight defeat in as many games.
Aljun Melecio led Converge with 17 points while Tom Vodanovich added 11 points and 20 rebounds in another sorry loss.