San Miguel Beer flexed its championship depth and firepower, shrugging off a sluggish opening before steamrolling Terrafirma, 135-115, Wednesday night to secure a twice-to-beat advantage in the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
What began as a flat, unfocused start quickly turned into another Beermen showcase once CJ Perez found his rhythm. The high-flying guard detonated for 17 of his game-high 26 points in the third quarter, igniting the surge that allowed San Miguel to seize full control and never look back.
June Mar Fajardo, steady as ever, quietly authored another milestone performance, recording just the second triple-double of his decorated career with 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. But this win was about far more than star power. San Miguel’s bench mob delivered in waves, unloading a staggering 88 points behind the relentless energy of Jericho Cruz and Jeron Teng.
The victory marked the Beermen’s eighth straight, lifting the defending champions to an 8-2 record and guaranteeing them at least the No. 2 seed. A No. 1 finish remains within reach, depending on the result of Rain or Shine’s matchup with Barangay Ginebra in Bahrain early Thursday morning, Manila time.
For coach Leo Austria, locking up a Top Four slot with one elimination game still left on the schedule was mission accomplished.
“That’s a welcome development for us. This has been our goal since the start of the conference, to get into the Top Four because of the incentive,” Austria said. “We don’t know yet kung sino ang makakalaban, but we still have to work hard. A lot of teams are really hard to beat.”
Ironically, Austria pointed to Terrafirma as a reminder of that reality.
The Dyip pounced on San Miguel’s early lethargy, moving the ball crisply and knocking down shots to build a 19-8 lead. But once the Beermen settled down in the second quarter, the momentum began to shift, and by halftime, San Miguel had clawed its way ahead, 52-46.
Perez then took over after the break, matching Terrafirma’s output almost single-handedly in the opening minutes of the third quarter. By the time he exited at the 4:49 mark, San Miguel had surged ahead, 69-59, and the floodgates were open.
Cruz, JM Calma, and Don Trollano kept the pressure on, stretching the lead to 95-80 heading into the final period. From there, it was a matter of how wide the margin would grow, with San Miguel peaking at a 24-point advantage before the final buzzer.
Despite absorbing their ninth straight loss and falling to 1-10, the Dyip earned praise from Austria for their competitiveness.
“You cannot relax against Terrafirma. They are out there to prove something, and they showed that in the first half,” he said. “On our side, we were too relaxed. That’s why it became a catch-up situation. Fortunately, we have CJ. Kanina, ipinakita niya kung ano talaga ang meron siya.”
San Miguel closes its elimination-round campaign against Meralco on Friday, riding momentum, depth, and the confidence of a team rounding into playoff form at just the right time.
Final scores:
San Miguel Beer 135 – Perez 26, Cruz 17, Teng 15, Trollano 14, Tautuaa 12, Calma 11, Fajardo 10, Lassiter 8, Tiongson 6, Miller 4, Cahilig 3, Mantua 2, Brondial 2, Ross 1.
Terrafirma 115 – M. Ahanmisi 20, Hernandez 19, J. Ahanmisi 16, Sangalang 14, Nonoy 11, Olivario 9, Zaldivar 8, Bravo 6, Rivero 6, Mariano 6.
Quarters: 18-26, 52-46, 95-80, 135-115.
