San Miguel completes 17-point comeback to frustrate Meralco

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The San Miguel Beermen erased a 17-point deficit to pull off a comeback against the Meralco Bolts, 103-92, in the ongoing PBA Commissioner’s Cup on April 28, 2026, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

After playing catch-up for the entire first half, San Miguel flipped the switch in the last two quarters, banking on a balanced offensive attack from June Mar Fajardo, Bennie Boatwright, Don Trollano, and CJ Perez to outscore Meralco, 55-37, in the second half.

The Bolts appeared headed for a surgical finish after storming to an early 17-point lead in the opening quarter, 19-2, but the Beermen’s second unit kept them afloat, helping them close the first period with an 11-3 recovery burst to pull within four points, 28-24.

San Miguel was able to slow down Meralco’s red-hot 3-point shooting through a crucial defensive adjustment, shifting to a zone defense, a signature scheme of Beermen head coach Leo Austria.

Meralco still held a slim 55-48 cushion heading into the second half, but San Miguel dropped the hammer in the third quarter as it officially stole the lead midway through the frame, led by Fajardo, who took over in the paint with 14 points.

After back-to-back follow-up baskets, San Miguel officially went ahead and never looked back, wrapping up the third quarter with a one-sided 29-18 run.

The Beermen did more damage in the final period as Trollano spearheaded a demoralizing 13-3 run in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter that swelled San Miguel’s advantage to double digits.

Unfortunately for the Bolts, their 3-point shooting abandoned them, allowing the Beermen to operate on both ends of the floor and protect their double-digit lead until the final buzzer.

Meralco import Marvin Jones tried to put the Bolts on his back, but his personal scoring streak could not match San Miguel’s offensive artillery in the crucial stretch of the fourth quarter.

Fajardo imposed his will during the impressive come-from-behind win after logging a double-double of 19 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting and 17 rebounds.

Trollano backed up the nine-time PBA MVP with 16 points, including 13 in the second half, on 6-of-11 shooting from the field.

Despite Boatwright’s dismal shooting, the returning SMB import made up for it with the intangibles, stuffing the stat sheet with 16 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.

San Miguel will look to pick up where it left off in its next scheduled matchup against the Terrafirma Dyip on May 6, 2026, while Meralco aims to bounce back against the Blackwater Bossing on May 3, 2026.