SEVEN-TIME PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo was again unstoppable.

Fajardo scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the third quarter as San Miguel defeated Rain or Shine, 106-89, to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven semifinal showdown in the PBA Philippine Cup.

Fajardo made 9-of-13 shots, including seven in the decisive third period, to power the Beermen to another victory over the E-Painters.

The 6-10 center from Compostela, Cebu also finished with 19 rebounds for his 13th double-double of the conference, four assists and one block in 33 minutes of play.

In San Miguel’s 101-98 victory over Rain or Shine in the opener last May17, Fajardo had 23 points, 11 rebounds , five assists and three blocks in nearly 38 minutes.

Fajardo had plenty of help.

CJ Perez finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, Terrence Romeo added 16 points, five rebounds and five assists, Marcio Lassiter contributed 13 points and Don Trollano had 10 points and four rebounds

Lassiter’s three three-point shots for the night also moved him into third place overall with 1,219 in his career.

“We just got better getting back on defense. The players really went down well and we were getting good shots, that’s why we were able to sprint back down and stop their fastbreak points, which was our main concern,” said San Miguel coach Jorge Gallent.

“At least now we did a better job sprinting back on defense and getting good shots, better shots than in Game 1. So I guess we just have to do the same in Game 3 and keep the energy up and keep on pressing the gas,” added Gallent.

Anton Asistio finished with with 20 points, including four triples, to lead Rain or Shine .

Asistio only had three points in the opener.

Adrian Nocum added 17 points and nine rebounds, Gian Mamuyac had 14 points and Keith Datu had a personal playoff-high 12 points.

Actually, Rain or Shine had more rebounds, 51-46, and more assists, 18-16.

But the E-Painters committed 15 turnovers, four by Mamuyac, against only nine by the Beermen.

The scores:

San Miguel (106) — Fajardo 22, Perez 19, Romeo 16, Lassiter 13, Trollano 10, Ross 9, Cruz 9, Brondial 4, Tautuaa 4, Enciso , Manuel 0, Teng 0.
Rain or Shine (89) — Asistio 20, Nocum 17, Mamuyac 14, Datu 12, Belga 11, Santillan 5, Caracut 4, Clarito 4, Norwood 2, Paredes 0, Ildefonso 0, Belo 0, Borboran 0.
Quarterscores: 23-21, 53-45, 88-71, 106-89.

Games Wednesday:
(Dasmarinas Arena)

4:30 p.m. — Rain or Shine vs. San Miguel
7:30 p.m. — Meralco vs. Ginebra

Results:

Game 1 — San Miguel 101, Rain or Shine 98.
Game 2 — San Miguel 106, Rain or Shine 89.
(San Miguel leads semifinal series, 2-0)