Uncharacteristic losing skid in All-Filipino Cup lights a fire under San Miguel

June Mar Fajardo leads the way anew for the Beermen.

MANILA, Philippines—San Miguel getting into a two-game slide in the PBA Philippine Cup is practically unheard of.

Since Leo Austria took over as the Beermen’s head coach at the start of the 2014-15 season, the most successful franchise in PBA history accumulated just eight total losses in the elimination round of league’s first conference.

And in those four Philippine Cups, none featured the Beermen losing two straight games until the 2019 edition when they started off 2-3.

The defeats to Rain or Shine and TNT pushed San Miguel into unfamiliar territory.

San Miguel, however, was able to break the slump with a resounding 93-79 win over Blackwater thanks to no small part to June Mar Fajardo’s performance of 20 points, 21 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks.

“Of course we’re happy with the win especially with our backs against the wall,” said Fajardo in Filipino Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena. “It was a good thing that we still have something to lean on. We played well on defense and we really had to win because another loss would be too difficult for us.”

The Beermen languished at the eighth spot of the ladder after their loss to TNT but their win against the Elite pushed them to a 3-3 card and a tie of the fourth seed with the KaTropa.

“I think our pride took a hit there because it’s hard for us to lose two straight and it was a good thing we won today,” said Fajardo. “Our coaches told us that it’s frustrating going to practice only to lose in the games.”