ANTIPOLO, Philippines — The San Miguel Beermen are on the doorstep of another PBA Philippine Cup crown after pulling off a gritty 96-82 victory over the TNT Tropang Giga in Game 5 of the Finals on Friday night, January 30, 2026.
The win gives the Beermen a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, putting them just one victory away from defending their title in the league’s most prestigious conference.
Bench Depth and Second-Half Surge After a sluggish start that saw them fall behind 14-2 and trail by as many as 16 points in the first half, San Miguel relied on its depth to turn the tide:
- Rodney Brondial: Churned out a monster performance with 17 points and 15 rebounds while playing through a swollen ankle.
- Kris Rosales: Provided a spark with 12 points and 4 assists.
- Mo Tautuaa: Contributed an all-around game of 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists.
- Core Stability: These efforts complemented the usual production from Best Player of the Conference June Mar Fajardo, Marcio Lassiter, CJ Perez, and Don Trollano.
TNT’s Shooting Woes The Tropang Giga appeared in control early behind sharp outside shooting and aggressive defense. However, their rhythm vanished in the second half as the Beermen intensified their defensive pressure.
- Key Absence: TNT played without star guard RR Pogoy, who is “most likely” out for the remainder of the series due to a recurring hamstring injury.
- Vanishing Lead: Without Pogoy’s scoring threat, TNT struggled to maintain its momentum as San Miguel’s bench outscored their counterparts in the final two periods.
Coach’s Perspective “Even before the playoffs, we rely more on the bench players. And tonight it showed,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria. Rodney Brondial added that the team was motivated by their blowout loss in Game 4: “We were also motivated by how bad we played last game, so we wanted to really bounce back.”
Series Schedule
- Game 6: Sunday, February 1, at the Mall of Asia Arena. A win for San Miguel secures the championship.
- Game 7 (if necessary): Wednesday, February 4, also at the Mall of Asia Arena.
With the championship trophy in sight, the Beermen look to finish off the short-handed Tropang Giga on Sunday, while TNT fights to keep their title hopes alive and force a deciding seventh game.