San Miguel gets back at TNT to level PBA Finals series at 1-1

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The San Miguel Beermen made sure no questionable ending would vanish their hopes of bagging their first win in the PBA Philippine Cup grand finals.

After a heartbreaking Game 1 loss decided by a switched call that nullified Moala Tautuaa’s dunk attempt, the Beermen quickly moved on and dominated on almost all facets in Game 2 to bounce back against the TNT Tropang 5G, 98-92, and tied the finals series at 1-1 on July 16, 2025, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

TNT held a brief two-point lead at the end of the first quarter but thanks to a much-improved three-point shooting performance from the Beermen, they were able to steal the driver’s seat spot and sealed the second frame with a 28-20 advantage.

The Beermen didn’t stay away from what was working since Game 1, and that was to capitalize on their size advantage in the paint.

June Mar Fajardo’s court vision kicked off San Miguel’s second-quarter burst as he located his cutting teammates whenever he received the soft double team down the post.

Aside from Fajardo, Jeron Teng, who logged in bountiful minutes in Game 2, put on a show in the second quarter after dominating the smaller guards of TNT in the left block.

Teng received the green light to operate with his post-up moves, scoring eight quick points that boosted the Beermen’s morale heading to the second half.

However, the Tropang 5G won’t let a blowout happen as they answered back with their own scoring avalanche in the third.

From a cold shooting in the first half, Calvin Oftana and the rest of TNT found their stroke and outgunned the Beermen, 35-24, to officially come back into the ball game.

TNT was all guns blazing in that period alone, dropping their highest-scoring quarter in the first two games of the PBA Finals.

When San Miguel found their backs against the wall, Don Trollano savored the moment in the final 12 minutes of the ball game and carried the Beermen with his timely shooting.

In the final six minutes of the fourth and the Tropang 5G not going away, Trollano unleashed a demoralizing personal 7-0 scoring run that pushed San Miguel’s cushion to 10 points, 92-82.

Unfortunately for the Tropang 5G, they failed to sustain their firepower and committed tons of turnovers forced by no other than the pesky Chris Ross.

Ross, who rejuvenated his presence after that monster Game 7 performance against Barangay Ginebra, collected four steals in the game, with two of those happening in the most crucial three-minute stretch for the Beermen in the fourth.

Trollano capped off his stellar Game 2 outing with 22 points including 12 in the final frame, built from an efficient 10/16 shooting from the field.

Backstopping the former Adamson University product was Fajardo, who tallied a near double-double statline of 17 markers and nine rebounds.

Teng, who made the most out of his minutes, paid off the trust of the coaching staff with 10 points off the bench.

On the other hand, Oftana was the only bright spot for the Tropang 5G after the scoring machine erupted for 23 points and seven rebounds. Pogoy, who was piping-hot in Game 1, was limited to just six markers.