First base

June Mar Fajardo has established himself as a certified defensive nightmare for any team.

The four-time Most Valuable Player again sowed terror in the paint, carrying the San Miguel Beermen to the semifinals of the Philippine Cup with a forceful 106-93 win over the TNT Ka-Tropa on Monday at Mall of Asia Arena.

Though the Beermen saw spectacular performances from Arwind Santos and Marcio Lassiter, Fajardo remained as the focal point of San Miguel’s bid to defend its crown.

On track to win his sixth Best Player of the Conference award, Fajardo pulled down 11 rebounds and had 35 points on 15 of 19 shooting, including the last two decisive field goals of the Beermen that doused the KaTropa rally.

In the nightcap, Magnolia had to overhaul a 20-point deficit before joining its sister team  in the next round.

Mark Barroca not only sizzled from the field but also made life difficult for the high-scoring Terrence Romeo to help lift the Hotshots to a come-from-behind 86-79 victory over the GlobalPort Batang Pier.

Emotions heightened in the first game with the outcome already decided as Jericho Cruz planted an elbow on the nape of Arwind Santos, who earlier pushed the TNT guard in a fast-break play.

Santos was thrown out for getting a second technical while Cruz was sent to the bench for the flagrant foul.

In the Final Four, San Miguel will face either Ginebra or Rain or Shine while Magnolia will take on the winner between the NLEX-Alaska setto.

Ginebra and NLEX will try to sweep their best-of-three quarterfinal series on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

FIRST GAME SCORES:

SAN MIGUEL 106—Fajardo 35, Lassiter 20, Santos 15, Ross 13, Cabagnot 8, Heruela 5, Ganuelas-Rosser 4, De Ocampo 3, Pessumal 2, Espinas 1.

TNT 93—Castro 19, Rosario 19, Pogoy 17, A. Semerad 16, Williams 15, Cruz 3, Torres 2, Garcia 2, Tautuaa 0, Paredes 0, Carey 0, Reyes 0.

Quarters: 31-23, 52-44, 77-72, 106-93