For the first time in months, the aura of invincibility surrounding San Miguel Beermen cracked.
The defending PBA Philippine Cup champions finally looked human on Sunday as sister team Barangay Ginebra snapped San Miguel’s 10-game winning run with a 99-90 victory to open their best-of-seven semifinal series.
After three tight quarters, the Kings seized control when it mattered most, outscoring the Beermen 27-17 in the fourth. Role players Norbert Torres and Ralph Cu provided the spark, drilling timely three-pointers that fueled a decisive closing run by the fifth-seeded Ginebra and stunned a San Miguel side that had not tasted defeat in nearly three months.
The loss was the Beermen’s first since October 12, when they bowed to Phoenix, and it came despite another imposing night from June Mar Fajardo. The league’s only nine-time MVP once again towered over the paint, finishing with 27 points and 23 rebounds in a performance that underscored his continued dominance and his strong push in the Best Player of the Conference race.
Still, numbers offered little consolation.
“Kulang pa rin ‘yan kasi natalo kami,” Fajardo said after the game. “Bounce back na lang kami. Kailangan naming mag-regroup.”
With Game 2 set for Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, the San Miguel cornerstone stressed that adjustments are no longer optional at this stage of the tournament.
“Semis na ito. Dapat piso-piso yung laro,” the 35-year-old big man said, emphasizing the razor-thin margins that define playoff basketball.
Despite conceding the series opener, Fajardo remains unfazed, expecting a long and grinding battle between two familiar rivals.
“Hindi naman matatapos agad ito,” he said. “Malayo pa ito.”