San Miguel cruised past Blackwater despite missing several key players in the Philippine Cup

San Miguel Beermen continued their rise up the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup standings with a comfortable 115–78 victory over the Blackwater Bossing on Sunday, May 25, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

What made the win even more impressive for San Miguel was that they were without three key players: Marcio Lassiter, Juami Tiongson, and Jeron Teng. In their absence, CJ Perez, June Mar Fajardo, and Don Trollano stepped up for the Beermen, delivering standout performances.

Perez finished with 20 points, while Fajardo recorded a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds to lead San Miguel to their third straight victory. The result delighted Beermen head coach Leo Austria, who was thrilled by the depth shown by his team.

June Mar Fajardo is the ArenaPlus BPG.#PBAAngatAngLaban pic.twitter.com/FcMI1yvvOD

— PBA (@pbaconnect) May 25, 2025

“Right after our game in Montalban against Terrafirma Dyip last May 18, the next practice, Jeron told us he couldn’t practice because of a virus—sore eyes. After two days, Juami followed. Then, two days later, it was Lassiter,” Austria said in the post-match press conference.

“I think the players are ready. As I said before, every player can be a starter on our team. What we are trying to do is foster healthy competition. You have to dislodge the starter to become a starter. For me, being a starter is a big deal for the players—but they have to earn it. That’s what’s happening; we’re seeing healthy competition,” he added.

The win moved San Miguel to second in the Philippine Cup standings with a 6–2 record, and Austria is eager to ensure that his team finishes in the Top Four, considering that the top four teams from the elimination stage receive a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs.

“That gave us a lot of concern. But I’m happy with how the players responded. They wanted to win because right now, you don’t know who will get into the Top Four. And that is our target,” Austria concluded.

San Miguel now enjoys a long break and will aim to extend their winning streak when they face the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in their next game, scheduled for Saturday, June 7, at the Cagayan De Oro City Convention Center.

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