King, Perez fuel Beermen surge as San Miguel ends Converge’s unbeaten run

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Converge arrived at the Ynares Center undefeated and looking to keep its perfect start alive.

San Miguel had other plans.

The Beermen overcame the FiberXers’ strong challenge with a 128-122 victory on Wednesday night in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup, preserving their unbeaten record and claiming the top spot in Group A.

With the win, San Miguel improved to 3-0 and handed Converge its first loss of the conference. The FiberXers, who entered the game tied with NLEX at 3-0, slipped to 3-1.

After a tightly contested opening half, the Beermen found separation in the third quarter. San Miguel exploded for 41 points behind its offensive firepower, turning the game into a 102-91 advantage heading into the final period.

Converge refused to go quietly, making a late push in an attempt to steal the game away. But San Miguel’s lead proved too much to overcome as the defending Philippine Cup champions held their ground.

George King once again showed why he has been one of the conference’s most dominant imports, carrying the Beermen with 41 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and one block.

CJ Perez provided the perfect complement, pouring in 31 points on 12-of-17 shooting. His highlight moment came at the end of the third quarter, when he knocked down a heavily contested banked four-pointer to extend San Miguel’s advantage to 12 points heading into the final frame.

The Beermen also got important contributions across the roster. Marcio Lassiter scored 18 points, Don Trollano added 11, and June Mar Fajardo posted 10 points and nine rebounds as San Miguel moved the ball effectively with 25 assists.

"We're trying to preach sa kultura namin, gusto namin 'yung extra passes," said acting head coach Peter Martin, pointing to the team’s unselfish offense as a key factor.

The victory also set up a heavyweight battle with NLEX on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, where the Beermen will fight for sole possession of Group A’s top spot.

"Hindi lang si Coach Jimmy as a coach, alam nating fired up ang NLEX kaya 3-0 sila," Martin said of Road Warriors head coach Jimmy Alapag, a former San Miguel assistant. "The coaches will talk about it, see what we can do, see their strengths, their weaknesses."

"Every game for San Miguel is a really tough game, especially without Coach Leo," he added, referring to head coach Leo Austria’s continued recovery from a health issue.

Converge found production from Justin Arana, who led the FiberXers with 29 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Justine Baltazar added a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Jalen Hudson finished with 15 points, six rebounds, and six assists but struggled to find his rhythm offensively. Alex Stockton chipped in 14 points and seven assists, Juan Gomez de Liaño and Mikey Williams scored 12 points each, while Calvin Abueva contributed 10 points, six rebounds, and seven assists.

The FiberXers will look to recover against TNT on Tuesday, while the Beermen turn their attention to a showdown with NLEX that could decide early control of Group A.