#LabanSanJuan: Ayonayon the hero in the clutch as Knights draw North semis first blood vs Pampanga

Mike Ayonayon proved why he is bound for the PBA.

Displaying clutch like no other, he fired the game-winning floater with virtually no time left as top seed San Juan draw first blood in the North Semifinals series against fourth-seed Pampanga, 86-84 at the FilOil FlyingV Center.

After nearly blowing their lead late in the payoff period, the reigning Finals MVP bailed out the reigning MPBL National Champions with a teardrop over Travis Thompson with almost zeroes on the clock to take the series opener over the Giant Lanterns, and extend their unbeaten record at home to 9-0.

The NLEX-bound Ayonayon finished with a dozen points and 6 rebounds, a perfect buffer for John Wilson who lead all scorers with 21, as Jhonard Clarito and Orlan Wamar pitched in 15 and 13 respectively for San Juan, who had to endure the loss of veteran Larry Rodriguez after suffering a right foot injury.

San Juan were in control of the middle quarters after being held to a stalemate in the opening frame, and looked to be in cruise control after a Wilson triple put them ahead at eleven, 80-69 with 5:37 remaining in the game.

However, Pampanga refused to switched off, and embarked on a 15-4 rally including eight straight as Dexter Maiquez and Levi Hernandez fired in five each to tie the game for the final time at 84 with 18.3 remaining.

But as he did in the past, Ayonayon showed his postseason cool, knocking down the huge buzzer beater to send the FilOil Crowd into a frenzy twice after the officials confirmed that he hit the winner on time.

The scores:

SAN JUAN 86 -- Wilson 21, Clarito 15, Wamar 13, Ayonayon 12, Isit 7, Estrella 7, Rodriguez 6, Aquino 3, Bunag 2, Gabawan 0, Victoria 0

PAMPANGA 84 -- Juico 18, Hernandez 15, Maiquez 13, Muyang 12, Cruz 10, Thompson 6, Cervantes 3, Apreku 3, Alberto 2, Fabian 2

Quarter scores: 20-20, 50-43, 67-65, 86-84

Photo by Harold Biado/San Juan Knights