San Miguel is through to the next round of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup.

The Beermen took down an upset-seeking NLEX Road Warriors’ side, 101-94, to make it to the semifinals of the all-Filipino tourney on Christmas Day at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

This marked the powerhouse squad’s 10th win in a row after starting the tournament with two straight losses.

June Mar Fajardo and Don Trollano took turns powering San Miguel, as the nine-time PBA MVP stuffed the stat sheet with a whopping 26-point, 23-rebound monster performance, and the latter ignited the team’s 32-19 third quarter showing that gave them control of the game.

Trollano had 15 markers in that period alone, surging past Jong Uichico’s wards after the Beermen entered the halftime break with a six-point deficit, 47-53.

“Because of the experience, they know how to win, especially in the second half,” expressed coach Leo Austria during the postgame press conference.

In a last ditch effort, the Road Warriors, behind their star, Robert Bolick, clawed their way back to the game and closed within three, 97-94, after they trailed by as much as 13 points, 68-55.

However, Fajardo and Trollano were there for the clutch charities that kept the Beermen up with less than a minute left, just as LJay Gonzales committed a costly turnover with around 18 seconds left in the ballgame.

Jericho Cruz contributed 18 points, Trollano finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, while CJay Perez chipped in 14 markers to go with five assists.

The Beermen will be facing the winner of the Converge FiberXers-Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings quarters encounter, with the former having a twice-to-beat advantage.

On the other hand, Bolick, who just returned from national team duty with Gilas Pilipinas at the recently concluded 2025 SEA Games, showed no signs of slowing down, firing a game-high 31 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, but was for naught as they absorbed the loss. (ABS-CBN News)