San Miguel Beer was simply too hot to handle for Converge, putting together a scorching third quarter scoring to essay a masterful 112-103 victory in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City on Friday, April 19.

Marcio Lassiter and June Mar Fajardo sparked a huge third frame where the Beermen exploded for a 51 points to take the fight out of the FiberXers and remain spotless through six games.

Scoreless in the first half when SMB trailed by as many as 12 points, Lassiter unloaded 17 of his 19 points, built on five triples, to open the floodgates for the Beermen who turned a 43-50 deficit into a commanding 94-70 heading into the payoff period.

CJ Perez also put up an all-game long brilliance of 25 points and nine rebounds while Fajardo threw his weight around inside the paint with a double-double of 12 points and 16 rebounds.

Terrence Romeo, who helped SMB weather the first half onslaught from Converge, finished with 15 points while Don Trollano, after also a relatively quiet first two quarters, wound up with 19.

With the win, SMB improved to a perfect 6-0 record which already assured them a spot in the quarterfinals while sending Converge reeling to a 0-8 record which, historically, eliminated it from playoff contention.

The FiberXers actually started out strong in the contest as they played the talent-laden Beermen fire with fire in the first two quarters. Thanks to a stellar shooting from the deep, Converge managed to erect a 34-22 lead.

The team, however, simply just couldn’t sustain the run, not in the face of SMB which has plenty of weapons to go to at any given point of the contest. The Beermen then went on a 25-6 tear, capped by back-to-back Lassiter triple to seize control of the game until the final buzzer.

Alec Stockton reset his career-high for the second straight game with 36 points, apart from six rebounds and four assists while his partner Justin Arana finished with 18 before fouling out of the contest.