June Mar Fajardo made a strong case for a ninth Most Valuable Player award this early in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup with a monster double-double.

CJ Perez rivaled Fajardo’s explosion by hitting the biggest basket of the game in San Miguel Beer’s 111-107 win over pesky Phoenix in Group B Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.    

Perez drilled a stepback four-pointer over the outstretched arm of defender RJ Jazul with the Beermen protecting a one-point lead with under a minute left to build a safer separation.

“We’re kind of rusty. But you know, in the end, the guys just wanted to win and they played with extra effort. Especially in the last five minutes when Phoenix was trying to catch up,” San Miguel coach Jorge Gallent said.

“They just played really hard going into the last five minutes of the ballgame that gave us the victory,” added the mentor.

But Fajardo was the man of the moment as the big man muscled his way to 37 points off 14-of-18 field goal shooting and 24 rebounds he laced with four assists, two steals and two blocks for San Miguel.  

The 6-foot-10 center, who on Sunday received his eighth MVP trophy, came just six points short of his career-best for the Beermen, who missed the services of Marcio Lassiter due to stomach flu.

San Miguel import Jordan Adams had 24 points and nine rebounds and Perez added 21 capped by the Beermen’s lone four-pointer of the match.  

Jason Perkins sank three freethrows to cut the Fuel Masters’ deficit to 106-105 with 1:17 left in the game to put pressure on the Beermen.

Perez with time winding down shook off Jazul to create enough space to let fly the dagger long-range bomb.

Phoenix answered with two foul shots from Perkins. San Miguel came empty-handed in the next possession but averted disaster when Ricci Rivero, who had been hot in the fourth period, missed a potential go-ahead four-pointer.   

Fajardo split his freethrows for a 111-107 lead before Tyler Tio missed a desperate four-pointer from way out at the buzzer.

Perkins had 18 points, Rivero had 15 while reinforcement Jayveous Mckinnis submitted 13 markers in an outing marred by early foul trouble for the Fuel Masters.