Don Trollano delivers dagger as San Miguel stuns Ginebra in late thriller

Don Trollano buried the go-ahead triple with 8.3 seconds left as San Miguel erased a 15-point deficit to beat Barangay Ginebra, 85-82, in a dramatic PBA Commissioner’s Cup clash.

San Miguel Beer found its finishing kick just in time.What looked like another tough night for the Beermen quickly turned into a statement win on Sunday after Don Trollano buried the biggest shot of the game to lift SMB past Barangay Ginebra, 85-82, in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

For most of the night, it was Ginebra dictating the pace and controlling the rhythm. But when the game tightened in the fourth quarter, San Miguel leaned on poise, timely execution, and its ability to come up with the plays that mattered most.

That final sequence perfectly captured it.With the score tied at 82, June Mar Fajardo misfired from deep, but the Beermen refused to let the possession die. CJ Perez kept the play alive with a crucial offensive rebound before finding Trollano open in the corner. The veteran wing calmly knocked down the marginal three-pointer with 8.3 seconds remaining, swinging the game and the momentum completely in San Miguel’s favor.

From there, the Beermen did the rest on the defensive end. San Miguel shut down Ginebra’s final push, denying both Justin Brownlee and Scottie Thompson any clean look from beyond the arc to preserve the hard-earned win and complete a comeback from as much as 15 points down.

Perez, quiet in the first half after being slowed by foul trouble, came alive when SMB needed him most. The explosive guard finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, and three assists, with 15 of those markers coming in the fourth quarter alone. He was at the center of San Miguel’s late surge, attacking the defense, creating pressure, and eventually setting up the game-winner.

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Don Trollano nails the go-ahead three off CJ Perez’s assist in San Miguel Beer’s 85-82 thriller over Barangay Ginebra | @jonasterradoINQ pic.twitter.com/ghn9EmxOmH

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Justin Patton also imposed his presence all night long, tallying 19 points and 17 rebounds in a dominant interior performance. In a much-anticipated matchup between imports, the San Miguel big man held his own and then some against Brownlee, making life difficult for Ginebra’s resident star on both ends.

Trollano ended up with 12 points, but none were bigger than the last three that gave the Beermen their first winning streak of the conference. The victory pushed San Miguel to 3-2 in the standings and gave the team another much-needed confidence boost heading into a tougher stretch of its campaign.

That test comes immediately. The Beermen are set to face unbeaten Rain or Shine on Wednesday, April 8, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in what shapes up to be one of the early measuring-stick games of the tournament.

On the other side, Ginebra was left to rue a missed opportunity after controlling large stretches of the contest but failing to close.

Brownlee still finished with a game-high 31 points, though he needed 32 shots to get there as Patton’s length and activity consistently made him work for every basket. RJ Abarrientos added 16 points, four rebounds, and seven assists, while Stephen Holt chipped in 11.

The trio carried most of the offensive load for the Kings, who were missing Japeth Aguilar due to injury and Ralph Cu, who was unavailable because of Gilas 3×3 duties.

Now at 2-2, Ginebra will try to regroup quickly as it heads into another high-stakes showdown against Magnolia in a Manila Clasico clash on Friday, April 10, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

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