November 14, 2025 | 12:00am
The 0-2 start wasn’t exactly what San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria had in mind for the defending PBA Philippine Cup champion. Losing to NLEX by one and Phoenix by six to open this season was a disappointing downgrade from how the Beermen dominated the previous conference where they compiled a 17-8 record, in the process clinching the crown and depriving TNT of a rare Grand Slam.
After the back-to-back defeats, San Miguel bounced back to win five in a row, two by a two-point margin so the run wasn’t totally convincing. But last Wednesday, the Beermen finally got its demolition act together to crush Titan, 158-117, in a dazzling display of force to show they’re not entertaining thoughts of giving up the throne. Before the game, San Miguel was in a three-way tie with Terrafirma and Blackwater for fifth place in the offensive department, averaging 95.2 points. Worse, it was No. 10 in assists with an 18.8 clip, No. 2 in most turnovers at 15.8 a game, No. 11 in three-point percentage (.276) and last place in free throw percentage (.617).
San Miguel’s last outing in the previous conference was on July 25 and its first assignment this season was on Oct.8. June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez were engaged in the FIBA Asia Cup on Aug. 5-17 so their break wasn’t as long as the rest of the Beermen. Still, there was more than enough time to regroup and rearm. Maybe the flat start was because of championship hangover or an extended honeymoon. Whatever the reason, it’s a thing of the past.
Blasting Titan to smithereens wasn’t expected. The Ultra Giant Risers were coming off a 97-86 win over Blackwater and began the conference on a high note, beating Meralco, 100-96. Their 112-111 defeat to Rain or Shine was an aberration. With Calvin Abueva and Joshua Munzon leading the charge, Titan is surely no pushover. In pulverizing the Giant Risers, San Miguel delivered a strong message that there will be no more pussyfooting. The showcase of firepower was frightening as the Beermen scored no less than 36 in each quarter and at the half, had 79 points. Entering the fourth quarter, San Miguel had already tallied 121 points. The Beermen finished with more than 60 points above their average and committed only 12 turnovers, dished off 32 assists and shot .409 from three, .400 from four and .840 from the line. The stats were a far cry from their early numbers.
Eight Beermen scored in twin digits with Perez tallying 26 and Don Trollano, 20. Fajardo registered his first-ever triple double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in 26:07 minutes, way below his conference average of 36:24 minutes. Austria rested JMF in the fourth quarter as his mop-up brigade put an end to Titan’s misery. San Miguel’s bench contributed an eye-popping 107 points, more than double the league’s top mark of 53.5 from Terrafirma’s relievers. No doubt about it, the Beermen are seriously pursuing back-to-back Philippine Cup titles. Their next assignments are against TNT on Dec. 5, Blackwater on Dec. 13, Terrafirma on Dec. 17 and Meralco on Dec. 19. A twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals is a cinch.