The TNT Tropang 5G leaned on super performances from unlikely heroes to eke out a 86-78 victory over the San Miguel Beermen in Game 5 of the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup Finals on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
As has been the case all series long, TNT again started strong, racing out to a 27-20 first quarter lead before finish the half with a 41-31 advantage on the strength of some great shooting and phenomenal defense.
But unlike in the previous games, in these Philippine Cup Finals, the Tropa managed to hold on to their lead in the second half, thwarting every San Miguel rally with timely baskets and stops. San Miguel last threatened at 59-55 early in the final frame on the heels of another Jericho Cruz blitz. A quick 7-0 blast, however, gave TNT back control of Game 5, 66-55, and the Grand Slam-seeking squad of Chot Reyes never looked back.
Big Games from Unexpected Heroes Extend Philippine Cup Finals
With their Grand Slam hopes dimmed, the Tropa got big contributions from their role players starting with big men Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Kelly Williams.
Ganuelas-Rosser led TNT’s early uprising, scoring 14 first quarter points on 7-for-8 shooting and bringing the intensity and energy the Tropang 5G needed in a do-or-die match. The former no. 1 overall pick finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 5 blocks in a dominant display on both ends for TNT. Williams, meanwhile, played his usual physical defense on eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo and kept him largely in check. The 43-year-old added 14 markers on four triples to help TNT’s offense.
TNT also got a huge boost from Almond Vosotros off the bench with 11 points and some gritty, physical defense. The old reliables contributed as well, with Calvin Oftana and Jordan Heading chipping in 13 apiece and RR Pogoy adding 11, including a huge and-1 to quell San Miguel’s last-ditch stand to start the fourth.
Cruz led San Miguel once more with 20 and single-handedly willed the Beermen back with his offense. Marcio Lassiter added 15 in his best game of the Finals, while Fajardo had 13 but was limited by foul trouble all game long.
The scores:
TNT (86) – Ganuelas-Rosser 18, Williams 14, Oftana 13, Heading 13, Vosotros 11, Pogoy 11, Aurin 4, Khobuntin 2, Heruela 0
San Miguel 978) – Cruz 20, Lassiter 15, Fajardo 13, Tautuaa 9, Trollano 8, Ross 6, Perez 5, Rosales 2, Brondial 0, Teng 0, Tiongson 0
The 2025 PBA Philippine Cup Finals Go to Game 6
Game 6 of the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup Finals will be on Friday, at the PhilSports Arena, where the Tropang 5G will look to extend the series to a Game 7. San Miguel, meanwhile, will try to close it out a second time.
