The San Miguel Beermen started off strong and finished even stronger to take a 98-92 victory over the TNT Tropang 5G in Game 2 of the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup Finals played at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
San Miguel scored the first six points of Game 2 as they looked sharp in the aftermath of what was a controversial Game 1 finish. But the Grand Slam-seeking Tropa quickly recovered to make it a tight first quarter, 23-19.
The Beermen then took command in the second quarter behind 10 points off the bench from Jeron Teng and some crisp ball movement and sharp passing. The perennial Philippine Cup champions—six in the last decade—notably controlled the game up to that point even with June Mar Fajardo sitting on the bench nursing three early fouls. San Miguel finished the first half ahead, 53-41, as they attacked the paint relentlessly.
TNT Storms Back, But San Miguel Has an Answer
Come the third frame, though, it was all about the Tropang 5G as they hit six booming triples—three from Calvin Oftana—to cut into San Miguel’s double-digit lead. Four consecutive triples—one each from RR Pogoy and Oftana and back-to-back from Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser–in the early minutes of the third jumpstarted TNT’s strong fight back that saw the Tropa inch to within 75-74 after 36 minutes of game action.
Game 2 was still hanging in the balance early in the final frame, with San Miguel nursing a slim 79-77 lead when Oftana went to the line for two freebies to potentially tie the game. The sweet-shooting forward had been 8-for-8 from the charity stripe up to that point but missed both his freebies. Brian Heruela then missed a wide-open shot right at the basket the very next possession to keep the score the same.
San Miguel capitalized on those misses and some careless passing from TNT to go on a 13-5 run and build an 82-72 advantage going into the last four minutes of regulation. That 10-point cushion was more than enough for the Beermen as the Tropa could no longer mount a final charge.
Don Trollano led San Miguel with 22 big points, including 10 in the fourth as he conspired with Chris Ross to power the Beermen’s finishing kick. Ross was spectacular once more for San Miguel as he finished with 7 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals—all in the final frame. June Mar Fajardo added 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Mo Tautuaa, the man at the center of Game 1’s controversial ending, had 16 points.
Oftana’s game-high 23 points led TNT, while Jordan Heading chipped in 15. Kelly Williams and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser fired 11 and 10, respectively, and tried to hold the fort after Poy Erram went down with an ankle sprain in the third.
The scores:
San Miguel (98) – Trollano 22, Fajardo 17, Tautuaa 16, Teng 10, Perez 8, Ross 7, Cruz 6, Brondial 6, Tiongson 4, Lassiter 2
TNT (92) – Oftana 23, Heading 15, Williams 11, Ganuelas-Rosser 10, Enciso 7, Erram 6, Pogoy 6, Khobuntin 6, Aurin 4, Heruela 4, Galinato 0, Varilla 0, Nieto 0
2025 PBA Philippine Cup Finals Continue
Game 2 of the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup Finals will continue on Friday, also at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Game time is set at 7:30 p.m.
