The San Miguel Beermen surged ahead in the semis as they took down the Meralco Bolts, 96-91, in Game Three of the best-of-seven series in the PBA Season 47 Philippine Cup on Sunday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Cebuano giant June Mar Fajardo took over down the stretch, scoring 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter including a putback that helped give the Beermen more separation when the Bolts pulled to within four, 84-88. The former University of Cebu standout added 16 rebounds and two blocks to help San Miguel take a 2-1 series lead.
CJ Perez led the Beermen in scoring with 26 points while Jericho Cruz and Vic Manuel added 15 and 11 points, respectively.
Allein Maliksi and Aaron Black came alive in the final canto but fell short as the Beermen established a 10-point lead at 83-73.
Chris Newsome scored 16 points and dished out six assists, while Aaron Black and Allein Maliksi put up 15 markers apiece.
In the other semi-finals match, TNT Tropang Giga beats Magnolia Chicken Timplados, 93-92 to take a 2-1 series lead.