CEBUANO bigman June Mar Fajardo carried the San Miguel Beermen on his broad shoulders with a monster performance to secure the first semifinals berth in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Philippine Cup on Thursday night, Dec. 25, 2025, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The native of Pinamungajan, Cebu logged in 26 points and a whopping 23 rebounds as the top-seeded and defending champion Beermen eliminated the No. 8-seeded NLEX Road Warriors, 101-94.
Fajardo took full control after halftime, unloading 16 points in the second half as San Miguel flipped a six-point deficit into a seven-point win.
The Beermen outscored the Road Warriors 54–41 over the final two quarters to seize command.
Don Trollano provided the perfect complement, erupting for 14 of his 15 points after the break.
With the win, San Miguel stormed into its fifth straight All-Filipino semifinals, extending its surge to 10 straight victories after opening the conference with two losses.
Sparked by Trollano, the Beermen unloaded a 16–0 run in the penultimate period, blowing the game wide open and building a 68–57 cushion.
The Road Warriors refused to fold, trimming the gap to 97–92 behind Robert Bolick, but Fajardo and Trollano slammed the door with clutch free throws and timely defensive stops.
Bolick finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, but it wasn’t enough to derail San Miguel’s march.
“We struggled in the first half because credit to NLEX, they were really prepared, especially in the first quarter, we were not able to execute our game. But the likes of June Mar Fajardo, he didn’t score a lot in the first half but come the second half, he did. He knows how to win, and talagang itsina-charge ko ito sa experience ng team,” said SMB coach Leo Austria.
The scores:
San Miguel (101) – Fajardo 26, Cruz 18, Trollano 17, Perez 14, Brondial 8, Tautuaa 6, Lassiter 5, Tiongson 4, Cahilog 3.
NLEX (94) – Bolick 31, Bahio 10, Fajardo 10, Ramirez 9, Alas 9, Onwubere 9, Gonzales 6, Mocon 5, Torres 4, Capulong 1. / RSC