Beermen torch TNT in fourth to move one win away from Philippine Cup crown

Noah Barro

The San Miguel Beermen pulled away in the final frame, fully moving past the sting of their controversial Game 1 loss.

Fueled by frustration, the San Miguel Beermen retaliated with three straight wins as they cruised past the Grand Slam-seeking TNT Tropang 5G, 105-91, in Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena, July 20.

Jericho Cruz materialized his ire in igniting an offense masterclass after pouring in 15 of his 23 points in the payoff period, highlighted by a blazing 5-of-7 clip from the three-point territory to set fire to his squad’s scoring blitz in the fourth quarter.

“Sayang yung unang pagkatalo namin kasi akala namin we had the chance to win. But tapos na yun, move on na kami doon,” he enthused.

Beermen’s head tactician, Coach Leo Austria also recognized what inspired his wards, nearing a potential “gentleman’s sweep”.

“The biggest factor was the first game. It fueled our grit. Kita mo sa player, in their eyes, they want to win,” he said. 

San Miguel also got solid contributions from CJ Perez who chipped in 16 points and five assists, along with Don Trollano, who finished the game with 11 markers and 6 rebounds.

June Mar Fajardo made history before the game even started, receiving his record-extending 12th Best Player of the Conference award. 

He backed it up on the court with another double-double, 15 points and 12 boards—his third of the series.

TNT opened hot with a 14-2 blitz, anchored by early contributions from Kelly Williams and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, who scored six each. But San Miguel clawed back, outscoring TNT 24-14 in the second quarter to wrest momentum.

Marcio Lassiter and Juami Tiongson also pitched 10 and 8 markers, respectively, to round out the Beermen’s offensive arsenal.

A 9-2 run gave the Beermen a comfortable 12-point cushion in the third frame, highlighted by two triples from Lassiter, 62-50. But TNT relied on Jordan Heading’answering with 11 straight points to power a 17-2 run that gave his team a three-point lead coming into the fourth, 64-67.

That’s when Cruz took over, knocking down three quick triples to flip the lead back to San Miguel, 84-79. 

Then, Fajardo and Perez took the reins, teaming up for an 11-1 surge that stretched the gap to 92-82.

Despite a swift transition 4-point shot from Heading, TNT eventually collapsed in the waning moments after missed free throws from Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Calvin Oftana, which translated to a 10-1 run that silenced any comeback attempts from the Tropang 5G.

Heading, who attempted to mount a comeback, finished the game with 23 points and 5 dimes.

Heading led TNT with 23 points and five assists. Oftana, however, struggled, scoreless in the first half and finishing with 11 points on just 3-of-10 shooting. Poy Erram, returning from a sprained ankle in Game 3, chipped in 6 points and 4 rebounds.

With TNT’s Grand Slam hopes on life support, the Beermen now look to close out the series and avenge last year’s runner-up finish in the same All-Filipino tourney. Game 5 is set for July 23 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.