Don Trollano returned from a one-game rest and stamped his mark in crunch time, powering San Miguel Beer to a gritty 94-92 triumph over Magnolia in the PBA Philippine Cup at Ynares Center-Montalban on Friday, November 7.

Trollano erupted for 29 points on an efficient 11-of-16 shooting and scored six in the final stretch, including a personal seven-point run that flipped the game for the Beermen. His late heroics helped San Miguel notch its fourth straight win and forge a three-way tie at 4-2 with Magnolia and NLEX.

San Miguel leans on Trollano’s late-game takeover

Trailing by four entering the final minutes, the Beermen turned to Trollano, who first completed a three-point play off Ian Sangalang before drilling a deep four-pointer to push San Miguel ahead, 91-88, with just over a minute left.

June Mar Fajardo added a split at the line to widen the cushion before Paul Lee’s triple attempt rimmed out, sealing San Miguel’s escape in another tight conference battle. Trollano, who sat out the previous game to heal from back soreness, rewarded the team’s patience with a composed, clutch performance.

CJ Perez chipped in 20 points while Fajardo finished with 18 and nine rebounds as San Miguel stayed just behind leaders Rain or Shine and TNT at 5-1 in the standings.

Magnolia misses chances as rally falls short

Magnolia had its opportunities to steal the game, but Jerom Lastimosa’s late look and Lee’s deep attempt both failed to drop. Zave Lucero paced the Hotshots with 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Lastimosa, Chris Koon and Sangalang added 17, 16 and 15, respectively.

The loss pushed Magnolia to 4-2, dropping its second straight outcome following a hot start. The Hotshots remain firmly in the upper mix but rued key misses in another close contest.

San Miguel continues its surge after earlier wins over Rain or Shine, Barangay Ginebra and Converge, while Magnolia looks to regroup after a missed chance to keep pace with the leaders.