TNT drains Meralco to bag a 2-0 PBA PHL Cup semis series lead

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The TNT Tropang 5G still had the Meralco Bolts’ number after running away with a lopsided 109-92 Game 2 victory in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup semifinals on Jan. 7, 2026, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

With the win, the Tropang 5G nabbed a comfortable 2-0 series lead, pulling off the dub in convincing fashion, unlike the grueling Game 1, where they had to climb back from a massive 21-point deficit.

More assertive in their drives, backstopped by adjusted defensive schemes, TNT shrugged off any slow-start issues to dictate the tempo as early as the first 12 minutes of action.

The Tropang 5G went off to the races to mount a 10-point lead after the first quarter, while surviving an early Meralco rampage in the following period to protect their cushion at the half.

It was a better offensive distribution for the disciplined TNT squad as five players immediately took turns scoring, led by Calvin Oftana, who was solid from downtown.

Oftana spearheaded TNT’s surge in the third frame that ballooned the biggest lead of the game to as many as 24 points, which Meralco never trimmed to single digits despite a quarter left in regulation.

Jordan Heading tormented Meralco’s come-from-behind attempt after the long-range assassin detonated a series of demoralizing treys that maintained TNT’s double-digit advantage in the fourth quarter.

With the 1-2 scoring punch of Oftana and Heading connecting on all cylinders, Meralco had to deal with excruciating agony defending the parking lot while sealing the paint to prevent any second-chance points from the high-leaping Kelly Williams.

A mini-run from Chris Newsome and Cliff Hodge ignited Meralco’s hopes of inching closer to nine points, but a layup from Heading and back-to-back pull-up perimeter jumpers from Oftana proved to be the early exclamation point with only three minutes remaining in Game 2.

Oftana was a man on a mission for the Tropang 5G as the veteran skipper unleashed a game-high 26-point performance, with 15 of those points coming in the second half, derived from an efficient 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range.

Meanwhile, Heading wrapped up the Game 2 dub with 24 points built from 9-of-16 shooting from the field, a huge improvement from his eight-point outing in Game 1.

The Tropang 5G will look to move a win away from securing another PBA grand finals slot in Game 3 on Jan. 9, 2026, while Meralco seeks to grab its first win of the semifinal series.