ANTIPOLO — San Miguel evened things out in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals after turning the tables on TNT with a decisive 111-92 victory in Game 2 at the Ynares Center here on Friday night.
The Beermen hardly felt CJ Perez’s foul trouble and the boxer’s cut sustained by Marcio Lassiter early, rolling to a 30-18 lead to end the first before breaking away in the succeeding quarter as the Tropang 5G struggled to go toe-to-toe.
Coach Leo Austria’s charges would later submit a strong finish, eventually tying the series at one game apiece as they put together one consistent showing in a solid bounce-back after falling short back in the opening clash two nights ago.
(C) PBA Images
“The biggest impact tonight was our defense. Unlike last game, we had a lot of energy, and we’re focused sa game,” offered head coach Leo Austria.
Don Trollano showed the way with a game-high 22 points as the talented wing got his groove back after a measly four-point showing back in Game 1.
The Season 49 Mr. Quality Minutes awardee of the PBA Press Corps shot 6-of-8 from the floor and 9-of-12 from the free throw line. He also had four rebounds, an assist, and a steal on his way to earning Player of the Game honors.
“Mindset ko talaga bumawi kasi Game 1, ang pangit ng laro ko. Inisip ko lang, hindi kami pwedeng ma-down two games,” said Trollano.
June Mar Fajardo finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds. Mo Tautua’a came through with 14 points while Perez had 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting and five assists before fouling out of the game with only 3:36 remaining.
Lassiter and Jericho Cruz added 12 points apiece for San Miguel, which shot 55.7-percent from the field and dominated the boards, 50-35.
“Our bench contributed heavily, unlike last game na 30-percent lang. Tonight, 65-percent so napakalaki ‘yun. And because of effort, we also outrebounded them this time after they outrebounded us in the last game,” said Austria.
(C) PBA Images
Rey Nambatac led TNT with 17 points. Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser made 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Jordan Heading had 14.
Kevin Ferrer and Calvin Oftana had 11 apiece for the Tropang 5G, who, after trailing by as many as 24 at the half, tried to storm back and got close to 10 a few times, with the last being at 97-87 behind Jio Jalalon with 2:26 to go.
Lassiter, though, was quick to arrest the rally with a perfect trip to the foul line before Trollano, Cruz, and Fajardo helped out to string together an 11-0 run toward a 108-87 lead with 1:06 to go, all but sealing the deal.
Game 3 is on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The Scores:
San Miguel 111 – Trollano 22, Fajardo 17, Tautuaa 14, Perez 13, Cruz 12, Lassiter 12, Tiongson 9, Brondial 6, Ross 3, Miller 3, Cahilig 0, Calma 0, Mantua 0, Rosales 0.
TNT 92 – Nambatac 17, Rosser 15, Heading 14, Oftana 11, Ferrer 11, Williams 8, Jalalon 7, Galinato 5, Khobuntin 2, Hill 2, Enciso 0, Aurin 0, Erram 0,
Quarterscores: 30-18, 57-33, 75-61, 111-92.
#WATCH: THE BIGGEST IMPACT IS OUR DEFENSE 🏀
Leo Austria was glad to see the energy and intensity of San Miguel in Game 2 of the #PBA50 Finals which was far from what they showed in the series opener#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/ASA0WEsaL1
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/SonuU5MOeg
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) January 23, 2026
