MANILA — Top 2012 PBA draft pick June Mar Fajardo finally unleashed the immense power inside his 6'10” frame but all for nothing as his team, the Petron Blaze Boosters, suffered an 84-90 defeat at the hands of their sister club, the San Mig Coffee Mixers, Sunday in the 2012-2013 Philippine Cup at the Smart-Araneta Center. Peter June Simon and Jonas Villanueva nailed clutch baskets in the homestretch to repulse a Fajardo-led uprising by the Boosters who fell to their second loss in three games. James Yap led San Mig Coffee with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists as the Mixers joined the Talk N Text Tropang Texters at the top of the standings with their second straight win. Simon contributed 17 points, including a booming triple that padded San Mig Coffee's lead to seven, 87-80, with 1:31 left in the game. San Mig Coffee center Yancy de Ocampo battled Fajardo on almost even terms and came up with 14 markers mostly on jump shots over the Petron Blaze giant. Villanueva added 10 points. Arwind Santos top scored for the Boosters with 18, while Fajardo had a breakout game of 16 points and 13 rebounds. Fajardo's output impressed even Mixers head coach Tim Cone. “Everybody got a glimpse of what he can do. He's battling our big guys well and his energy brought his team back. We shouldn't let that game get close but that's really a good team. No doubt, that team's gonna get better,” Cone said in the post-game interview. In the opener of Sunday's twinbill, the Alaska Aces had a huge 29-3 third quarter run to snap a two-game losing streak with a scintillating 102-86 win against the Barako Bull Energy Cola. The triumvirate of Jayvee Casio, Cyrus Baguio, and Mac Baracael poured in 68 points to the delight of Alaska head coach Luigi Trillo. “It's a joy to see them scratch and claw,” Trillo said. “We got punished in the first two games. We haven't been playing good defense. We brought energy to this game.” Alaska won despite missing the services of Gabby Espinas and with starting center Sonny Thoss saddled with stomach pain. Thoss did not score a single point but his tenacious defense in the homestretch, including six rebounds and four blocks, ensured Alaska's first win in the conference. Casio led the Aces with 24 points, Baguio chipped in with 23 points, while Baracael had 21. Casio suffered a gash on the head after colliding with teammate Sam Eman in the fourth quarter.
