Jericho Cruz kept it simple entering Game 5 of the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals, and that led to one of his best performances in quite a while.
And his exceptional performance was a relief for San Miguel, enabling the traditional contenders to get nearer to the Big Dance.
“Kinapalan ko na ‘yung mukha ko,” he said with a chuckle shortly after their 103-92 victory over Ginebra on Friday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Cruz finished with 27 points behind an excellent 9-of-12 shooting from the floor — including a four-pointer — and a perfect 4-of-4 clip from the free throw line.
A quick check by PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III revealed that it was actually his season-high, and his third career-best scoring output.
His league career-high, if you ever wonder, was 30 points. He’s set it twice — including this one during the playoffs — according to the numbers czar.
According to Cruz, he built his outing on the responsibility to deliver the best he can, as part of the Beermen’s second unit.
(C) PBA Images
“Next-man-up mentality para sa team namin,” he said. “‘Yung first five, ‘pag hindi sila nagpe-perform, well… Kaming mga second group, we have to step up.
“‘Yun ang ano namin sa team. So siguro, it’s one of those nights na binigay sa akin ni Lord na maganda ‘yung laro ko ngayon,” he added.
He also tried to make the most of his opportunities on the floor, especially when the defense would focus heavily on June Mar Fajardo.
“Lahat ng depensa naka-focus din kay June Mar, so palaging nao-open lang ako. So, I have to take my shots,” said the 34-year-old winger.
“Kasi kung papasok ‘yan, siyempre iiwan ako ni Coach sa court; ‘pag hindi nashu-shoot ‘yan, siyempre next man up,” he added with a smile.
Game 6 is on Sunday, and even though he acknowledges that closeout games are always the hardest, Cruz won’t change his approach.
“Ito ‘yung pinakamahirap eh. Siyempre, they will give everything they got, at ganun din kami,” said the 11-year vet.
“It’s gonna be a good game, talagang papanoorin ‘tong game na ‘to. Siyempre kami, ‘di kami magpapatalo.”
#WATCH: “TALO, PANALO, TALO, PANALO”
Coach Leo Austria is relieved as Jericho Cruz and San Miguel finally break the pattern in the #PBA2025 semis 🏀#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/hXklwpOKyN
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/YJDgfNSCoc
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) July 4, 2025
