The San Miguel Beermen are now one win away from another PBA Philippine Cup crown after dispatching the TNT Tropang 5G, 105-91, in Game 4 of the Finals at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Game 4, at least in the first half, was a splitting image of Game 3, with TNT racing out to a strong start and building as much as a 12-point lead in the first quarter. But as in Game 3, San Miguel quickly bounced back, inching to within 23-21 to end the opening frame and then zooming ahead to a 45-37 lead entering intermission.
TNT, San Miguel Grind It Out in the Second Half
Come the third quarter, both teams threw haymakers at each other, with San Miguel extending its lead to 62-50 at the five-minute mark on a Marcio Lassiter triple. TNT, though, outscored the Beermen, 17-2, the rest of the way, with Jordan Heading nailing three treys in that span to help the Tropa wipe out San Miguel’s lead and enter the final frame ahead, 67-64.
San Miguel then retook the lead early in the fourth, 69-67, on an and-1 from Jericho Cruz, before TNT nudged back ahead, 70-69 on another Heading triple. The Beermen got the lead back, 71-70, the very next possession on a June Mar Fajardo basket off an offensive rebound.
Game 4 was still close, 78-77 at the halfway mark of regulation, but San Miguel uncorked a 10-2 run to ultimately put the game away and wrest a commanding 3-1 lead over TNT, whose Grand Slam bid appears to be in serious jeopardy.
Cruz and Heading led all scorers with 23 for their respective teams. CJay Perez added 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Fajardo finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks on the same night he won his record-extending 12th Best Player of the Conference award. Kelly Williams and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser put up 14 apiece for TNT, while RR Pogoy and Calvin Oftana each had 11.
The Scores
San Miguel (105) – Cruz 23, Perez 16, Fajardo 15, Trollano 11, Lassiter 10, Tiongson 8, Ross 7, Teng 6, Tautuaa 4, Calma 3, Brondial 2, Cahilig 0
TNT (91) – Heading 23, Williams 14, Ganuelas-Rosser 14, Pogoy 11, Oftana 11, Khobuntin 7, Erram 6, Vosotros 3, Nieto 2, Aurin 0, Heruela 0.
San Miguel Goes for the Title
San Miguel will be going for the Philippine Cup crown on Wednesday, July 23, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Game 5 is set for 7:30 p.m.
