San Miguel Beer showcased its championship poise on Christmas Day, overcoming a halftime deficit to defeat the NLEX Road Warriors, 101-94, and secure a spot in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The top-seeded Beermen utilized their twice-to-beat advantage to eliminate the Road Warriors and extend their winning streak to 10 games dating back to the elimination round.
June Mar Fajardo dominated the paint, finishing with a massive double-double of 26 points and 23 rebounds. Despite the standout performance, the multi-time MVP remained focused on the upcoming rounds.
“We have to think of this as us going back to zero,” Fajardo said in Filipino. “The next series will be a best-of-seven. There’s no advantage anymore. We need to think about how we’ll improve even more now.”
NLEX controlled the early tempo, leading 53-47 at the half. However, San Miguel ignited in the third quarter, outscoring the Road Warriors with a 32-point explosion to take a 77-72 lead entering the final period.
The Beermen pushed the lead to 97-88 late in the fourth, but NLEX mounted a final rally. Robert Bolick and LJ Gonzales narrowed the gap to 97-94 with under a minute remaining. Fajardo eventually iced the game at the free-throw line with 22 seconds left to play.
Supporting Fajardo’s effort were Jericho Cruz and Don Trollano, who provided a spark off the bench with 18 and 17 points, respectively. CJ Perez added 14 points, while Rodney Brondial contributed eight points and 14 rebounds.
Robert Bolick led the way for NLEX in the losing effort, nearly recording a triple-double with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists.
San Miguel now awaits the winner of the quarterfinals matchup between Barangay Ginebra and Converge for a best-of-seven semifinal series.