Bol Bol, TNT sober up San Miguel during PBA showdown

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

What was expected to become a mano-a-mano thriller ended up in an old-fashioned rivalry beatdown.

On March 28, 2026, the TNT Tropang 5G pulled off their most dominant win in the ongoing PBA Commissioner’s Cup after overwhelming the San Miguel Beermen, 118-92, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

TNT never allowed San Miguel to win a single quarter.

That’s how the Tropang 5G stamped their masterclass over their archrivals.

From the get-go, Chot Reyes’ wards looked like men on a mission as they immediately raced to a 19-point lead, 35-16, and never looked back until the final buzzer sounded.

Spearheading the early TNT rampage was Tropang 5G import and former NBA talent Bol Bol, who was unstoppable after quickly exploding for 16 points in the first 12 minutes of action.

The 7-foot-3 versatile frontcourt star immediately posed tons of problems for the Beermen after exposing June Mar Fajardo’s weakness in defending his blow-by moves, while also becoming a head-scratcher for Marcus Lee, who couldn’t contain him at the elbows due to his length advantage.

TNT then followed the classic hoops mentality of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” as the whole Tropang 5G kept dumping the leather to Bol while waiting to see if the Beermen would deploy help from the baseline or completely double-team him.

Unfortunately for San Miguel, all sorts of defensive adjustments directed at Bol only made things worse as they shifted his scoring mentality into that of a facilitator, allowing him to locate Calvin Oftana for pin-down 3-pointers that widened TNT’s gap in the second half.

Aside from Oftana, Bol also rifled several pocket passes to Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Justin Chua, who stayed in the dunker’s spot for easy deuces.

San Miguel attempted to stage a dramatic comeback after starting the fourth quarter strong with a 12-2 run, but Bol restored order for the Tropang 5G, scoring seven consecutive points that spoiled the Beermen’s tiny glimmer of hope.

Bol remained the top candidate for the Best Import of the Conference after schooling San Miguel with 34 points and 18 rebounds in just 33 minutes of playing time.

Leading TNT’s locals were Oftana and Rosser, who delivered 18 and 13 markers, respectively, while Justin Chua chipped in 11 points and four rebounds off the bench.

The Tropang 5G will look to sustain their momentum on April 7, 2026, against the Meralco Bolts, while San Miguel aims to redeem itself on April 5, 2026, against the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings.