The PBA Philippine Cup Finals continued on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, with the TNT Tropang 5G aiming for a 2-0 lead and the San Miguel Beermen looking to level the series at one game apiece. But after a hot start, it was the Beermen who got the win, 111-92, to tie the championship series at 1-1.
What Happened?
San Miguel totally flipped the script in the first half of Game 2 as it zoomed to a phenomenal start. Powered by Jericho Cruz, Don Trollano, and Juami Tiongson, the Beermen outgunned TNT, 30-18, in the very first quarter. They then extended the lead to 57-33 at halftime as Trollano continued to wax hot.
TNT, though, didn’t go down quietly. Using a swarming full-court press led by Jio Jalalon, the Tropa forced the Beermen into nine turnovers in the third quarter to cut the lead to 75-61 after three. The Tropang 5G were still in striking distance, 78-67, when a five-point cluster by CJay Perez snowballed into a 12-0 run to make it 90-67. It was all the cushion San Miguel needed to cruise to the Game 2 victory.
Who Stood Out?
Don Trollano bounced back from a 4-point Game 1 to lead the way for San Miguel in Game 2. Trollano finished with a game-high 22 points on a hyper-efficient 6-for-8 from the field while also hitting 9 of his 12 freebies. Jericho Cruz also bounced back in a big way, firing 12 points on top of 4 rebounds and 4 assists, along with his trademark physicality and intensity. Rodney Brondial also showed out, adding 6 points and 12 rebounds—including 5 on the offensive glass—before spraining his ankle late in the third quarter.
On the other side, TNT couldn’t find heroes for Game 2. The closest was Rey Nambatac, who paced the Tropa with 17 points. Jio Jalalon also came out in the third quarter and gave TNT a lift, harassing San Miguel’s guards full court and helping the Tropa force nine third-quarter turnovers. He finished with 7 points, 7 assists, and 1 steal.
3 Keys to the Game
- Strong start. In Game 1, it was TNT who rode high on a hot start. This time around, it was San Miguel. And the Beermen were scorching in the first half, putting up 57 points to establish a huge 24-point advantage.
- Defense. While San Miguel’s offense hummed in the first half, its defense also clicked, holding TNT’s usually prolific offense to just 33 points—18 in the first and 15 in the second. That defense loosened up a bit in the second half, but all in all, it was a solid effort on that side of the ball, so much so that the Tropa shot just 35.2% overall and 30% from distance.
- Rebounding. Outrebounded in their Game 1 loss, the Beermen bounced back in a big way in Game 2, outrebounding TNT, 50-35. San Miguel also cut down the Tropa’s offensive rebounds from 17 in Game 1 to 12 in Game 2, leading to TNT scoring just two second-chance points.
Next Up for the PBA
PBA Philippine Cup Finals action will move to the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday for Game 3. Tipoff is at 7:30
