TNT overcomes San Miguel, keeps Grand Slam hopes alive

TNT kept its Grand Slam bid alive as it took down San Miguel, 86-78, in Game 5 of the PBA Philippine Cup finals on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

With the victory, the Tropang 5G extended the best-of-seven series to its sixth game.

TNT held a 41-31 lead by the end of the first half before the Beermen caught up and inched closer, 59-53, as Jericho Cruz closed the third period with a 4-pointer.

The Tropang 5G's lead further ballooned to 18 points, 77-59, at the 6:57 mark of the fourth period before the Beermen trimmed the lead to a single digit, 84-76, with 1:24 remaining as Cruz' triple gave a glimmer of hope for San Miguel.

Cruz tried to drill one anew from the three-point arc but fell short, as his foul on Kelly Williams brought the latter to the line where he sank two freebies and virtually sealed the win as Cruz' next three-point attempt failed anew. However, his free throws off a Calvin Oftana foul eventually ended the match.

"I saw a lot of fight and just unwillingness to give up," TNT head coach Chot Reyes said.

"Our pregame talk was all about... this has been a very long season and we're down to our final week. I said let's make this the best week. Just fight as hard as we can and let's see what happens. Luckily, I could see in yesterday's practice and today in the body language and eyes of our players that they were just not willing to give up."

Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser's hot start proved to be crucial as he made 14 of his 18 points in the opening period alone. Williams had 14 points, while Oftana and Jordan Heading had 13 points apiece. Vosotros, meanwhile, continued to be the spark off the bench for TNT as he made 11 points.

Cruz led San Miguel with 20 points, while Marcio Lassiter added 15 points. June Mar Fajardo had 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Game 6 of the finals will be played on Friday at the Philsports Arena.

Scores:

TNT 86 – Ganuelas-Rosser 18, Williams 14, Oftana 13, Heading 13, Pogoy 11, Vosotros 11, Aurin 4, Khobuntin 2, Heruela 0.

San Miguel 78 – Cruz 20, Lassiter 15, Fajardo 13, Tautuaa 9, Trollano 8, Ross 6, Perez 5, Rosales 2, Brondial 0, Teng 0, Tiongson 0.

Quarters: 27-20, 41-31, 59-53, 86-78.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News