June Mar Fajardo had one of the worst games of his PBA career on Tuesday. And, no surprise, the San Miguel Beermen lost to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 104-95, in Game 1 of their PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals showdown.
Fajardo Credits Ginebra’s Defense
After the game, the 13-time Best Player of the Conference kept it simple when asked about his low production, telling reporters that Ginebra simply played good defense.
“Maganda ‘yung depensa ng Ginebra, so bawi nalang kami next game. Long series pa naman ‘to. Ibang series ‘to, long series ‘to. Babawi nalang kami next game,” Fajardo said.
The 6-foot-10 center finished with just 3 points in Game 1 while grabbing 10 rebounds and issuing 3 assists. He shot 1-for-6 from the field. Prior to Game 1, he had been averaging 11.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.
“Mabigat talagang kalaban ‘yung Ginebra… Pero hindi naman pwedeng iwasan ‘yung [ganito]. Tine-take nalang namin ‘yung challenge. So, ayun, panalo sila ngayon. Hopefully makabawi kami,” he added.
With Fajardo covered, other Beermen stepped up to keep San Miguel in the game. Cjay Perez and Don Trollano each scored 21 points, George King contributed 20, and Jericho Cruz chipped in 17.
All Eyes on a Bounce-Back Performance
After crediting Ginebra’s defense, The Kraken then emphasized the importance of bouncing back in Game 2.
“Paghahandaan namin ng husto. Kailangan namin mag-bounce back kasi nga mahirap ma-down 2-0 sa series dahil best-of-five lang,” said Fajardo. “Bukas [Wednesday] titignan namin kung saan kami nagkulang, kung saan kami pwedeng mag-adjust.”
One area of adjustment San Miguel might have to explore is getting Fajardo in better positions to attack Ginebra’s defense. Another could be giving the big man help on the defensive end, where Ginebra routinely exploited Fajardo’s limited mobility.
Game 2 is set for tipoff later today at 5:15 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium—and the Beermen would be counting on Fajardo to be a whole lot better this time around.
