Fajardo, Cabagnot lead SMB to win against Blackwater Elite

“Final: 93 – 79 in favor of the San Miguel Beermen!
Best Player: June Mar Fajardo with 20 points, 21 rebounds and 5 assists #PBALabanKungLaban” (Photo: PBA/Facebook)

Cebuano June Mar Fajardo gave huge numbers for team SMB with 20 points, 21 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks, while Alex Cabagnot made his masked return after four games providing 19 points and five rebounds. New recruit Terrence Romeo performed as well with 17 points, while Cris Ross contributed 14. As for their opponents, former University of the East (UE) Red Warriors Roi Sumang provided 17 points, while teammate Mike Digregorio added 14 points for the Elite. Allein Maliksi had a double-double as well with 13 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not enough to avoid the loss.

SMB Head Coach Leo Austria shared, “It’s a good win for us and this win will serve as a morale booster for us. We’re able to arrest our losing streak, which is two,” when talking about his team snapping their two-game skid. SMB now stands with three wins and three loses. He added in a mix of English and Filipino, “I’m happy to see the players’ pride prevails. There was a lot of effort. Even though the game was already decided, the effort was still there.” Coach Leo concluded, “We all know that in our team, talent is very abundant, but talent is useless if there is no effort being shown.” In Filipino, Fajardo also tells the press, “Coach Leo told us our backs are against the wall. We needed to win. Good thing we played well today.”

The Elite will try to redeem themselves on February 9 as they match up against Ginebra San Miguel at the Davao del Sur Coliseum, while the San Miguel Beermen will attempt to continue their good run against the Magnolia Hotshots on February 10 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.