June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez led San Miguel to a 96-91 win over Meralco in Game 3 of their PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum late Sunday.

With the Bolts inching to within four under the last 1:35 minutes, Fajardo restored order to give the Beermen a 2-1 advantage in their action-packed series.

The Best Player of the Conference frontrunner dominated both sides with 21 points and 16 rebounds, while Perez had game-high 26 points on four triples and three assists.

Chris Newsome, meanwhile, led Meralco with 16 markers and six assists, while Aaron Black and Allein Maliksi combined for 30 points.

The Scores:

SAN MIGUEL 96 – Perez 26, Fajardo 21, Cruz 15, Manuel 11, Ross 8, Tautuaa 8, Brondial 4, Lassiter 3, Enciso 0, Herndon 0

MERALCO 91 – Newsome 16, Maliksi 15, Black 15, Hodge 12, Jose 9, Banchero 8, Quinto 4, Almazan 4, Pasaol 2, Baclao 2

QUARTERS: 25-24, 46-42, 71-66, 96-91