TNT Tropang 5G had no business winning this one — and that’s exactly what made it special. Stripped of their top three scorers and staring down the league’s most explosive offense, the undermanned Tropang 5G leaned on nothing but grit and belief to shock all-Filipino champion San Miguel Beer, 93-89, in overtime during the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Saturday, August 1, at the SM MOA Arena.

The gutsy win improved TNT to 3-2 in Group A, following a similarly narrow 110-107 escape over Converge, while San Miguel dropped to 4-2 and was held far below its previous scoring average of 120 points per game.

“Let’s try to beat them on defense” was the rallying cry inside the TNT camp — a battle plan that, paired with an unshakable mindset, proved good enough to topple a stacked Beermen roster.

Aurin’s Fever-Fueled Breakout Leads the Charge

With cornerstones Jayson Castro, RR Pogoy, Calvin Oftana and Kelly Williams all unavailable, TNT turned to an unlikely cast of heroes. Returning import Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, making his second PBA stint after debuting two years ago, filled the stat sheet with 20 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.

But it was Kim Aurin — who had averaged a modest 1.7 points last conference — who stole the show, erupting for 22 points, including a decisive seven-point flurry in the extra period that swung the game in TNT’s favor.

What made the performance even more remarkable: Aurin was battling a fever earlier that morning.

“Sobrang bigat ng trabaho dahil wala sila,” Aurin said, referring to TNT’s missing stars. “Mindset lang, pag libre, tira.”

Aurin credited a Bible verse for giving him renewed strength before leading his shorthanded squad through the grueling extra period, all on head coach Chot Reyes’ 62nd birthday.

Shock trooper J. Quitevis also came up big when it mattered most, scoring all four of his points in the clutch to help force overtime after regulation ended in a 73-73 tie.

Reyes Credits Defense and Mindset for the Upset

For Reyes, the win went beyond the box score. It was a testament to a philosophy he’s preached throughout his coaching career: Mentality drives performance.

“I really don’t know how we did it,” Reyes said. “What I know is how important mindset is. We could’ve had an attitude na ‘overtime na naman’ and been negative. But we turned it positive, saying ‘who would’ve thought we could bring them to overtime?’ Don’t lose hope. I know all elite performance begins with mindset.”

Defensively, TNT made every possession a battle. San Miguel’s George King torched the scoreboard for a game-high 35 points, but the Tropang 5G limited him to just eight points in the first half, building and protecting double-digit leads for most of the night before grinding out the finish in overtime.

“Basta ang sabi namin, daanin na lang natin sa depensa,” Reyes said, crediting a defensive identity that made the Beermen bleed for every basket.

With the win, TNT proved that depth charts and averages don’t always decide games — sometimes it’s the team with the least to lose that finds a way to win.