King, Perez take turn as SMB sends Converge crashing back to earth
At A Glance
- CJ Perez and George King set the tone early and took turns the rest of the way as San Miguel sent the erstwhile undefeated Converge crashing back to earth with a 128-122 win in the PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Wednesday, July 22.
CJ Perez and George King set the tone early and took turns the rest of the way as San Miguel sent the erstwhile undefeated Converge crashing back to earth with a 128-122 win in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Wednesday, July 22.
Perez and King formed a lethal one-two punch, combining for 72 of the Beermen’s total output — including a scintillating start to the contest where the former had 12 and the latter had 11 to give SMB an early double-digit lead.
Converge did hold its ground after keeping themselves within striking distance for the most part but San Miguel’s firepower simply proved too much as they led by as many as 16 late in the final frame.
King dazzled with a conference-high of 41 points to go with 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals while Perez fired 31 points. The hot shooting of the two also rubbed off to Marcio Lassiter who rifled in three triples on his way to an 18-point showing.
Don Trollano chipped in 11 while June Mar Fajardo had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Beermen who remained spotless through three games.
SMB handed Converge its first taste of defeat as the FiberXers slid to a 3-1 slate.
Justin Arana came one point shy of once again breaking into the 30-point scoring barrier, finishing with 29 points while frontcourt partner Justine Baltazar had 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Import Jalen Hudson had 15 points, six rebounds and six assists while Alec Stockton had 14 points and seven dimes.