JUNE Mar Fajardo reminded everyone why he’s still the most dominant big man in Philippine basketball.
The six-time MVP canned in 23 points and 15 rebounds, leading the San Miguel Beermen to a convincing 108-97 win over the erstwhile champion Meralco Friday night, June 20, 2025, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, booking their return trip to the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals.
Fajardo controlled the paint from start to finish, punishing Meralco’s frontline with his inside presence and giving the Beermen a steady anchor on both ends of the floor. With the victory, San Miguel completed a wire-to-wire quarterfinal win over the eighth-seeded Bolts.
Supporting Fajardo were Don Trollano, Juami Tiongson and Rodney Brondial, who all stepped up in key moments to maintain San Miguel’s edge throughout the match. Tiongson and Trollano each scored 19 points, while Brondial contributed a double-double of 13 points and 12 boards.
For San Miguel head coach Leo Austria, the semifinal berth is both a relief and a statement of intent, especially after last season’s heartbreak.
“It’s all about pride. In the last championship in the all-Filipino Meralco beat us and we redeemed ourselves from that loss. Last conference we did not even get to the quarterfinals now we’re in the semifinals,” said Austria.
“I think it’s a big achievement, but we’ve prepared for this conference to get all the way through to the finals and eventually win the championship,” added Austria.
“But it’s a long shot because the next opponent could be either Converge or Ginebra and we know how strong both those teams are.”
San Miguel’s fast start proved vital as the team surged ahead with three different 16-point leads. The Bolts, however, rallied late in the third quarter to cut the gap to 75-77, threatening to flip the script.
But the Beermen responded with composure. Tiongson keyed a counter-run that restored control, and a late 23-7 stretch pushed San Miguel ahead 100-82, taking the air out of Meralco’s comeback hopes.
Even with foul trouble limiting his minutes, Tiongson remained steady and productive, while Trollano added six rebounds to his 19-point outing.
CJ Perez, held to just 14 points — nearly 10 below his average — turned into a facilitator with a game-high eight assists. Mo Tautuaa also added a solid double-double performance with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
On Meralco’s end, Chris Banchero erupted for 32 points and Chris Newsome had 23 points, 11 boards and six assists. Norbert Torres was the only other Bolt in double figures, scoring 13 points including six in a 10-2 run that brought Meralco close late in the third.
The Beermen will face sister team Ginebra Gin Kings in the semifinals after the latter defeated Converge, 88-80, in their separate quarterfinals matchup. / RSC