TNT big man Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser celebrates after beating Meralco in Game 3 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines–TNT bucked the absence of an import following Bol Bol’s injury to edge out Meralco, 77-75, for a 2-1 lead of their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena.
RR Pogoy knocked down the go-ahead three to finish their comeback because the Tropang 5G prevailed despite not only missing Bol but in addition being forced to play all-Filipino with temporary substitute Malick Diouf failing to secure mandatory documents in time for the competition.
READ: Chris McCullough set for PBA return as TNT import
A thriller of a victory for the all-Filipino Tropang 5G in Game 3 @inquirersports pic.twitter.com/0JCKEUjSIo
— Jonas Terrado (@jonasterradoINQ) May 24, 2026
Meralco had a likelihood to force time beyond regulation, but CJ Cansino and Javee Mocon missed point-blank attempts before time expired.
The Tropang 5G moved two wins shy of advancing to the Finals for the fifth straight conference, with former San Miguel Beer import Chris McCullough set to fill the shoes of Bol for Game 4.
Game 4 is about Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Rey Nambatac had 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals, Calvin Oftana posted 15 points and 7 rebounds and Jordan Heading added 12 to emerge as TNT’s most efficient players.
READ: PBA: TNT goes all Filipino in semis Game 3 vs Meralco
But the largest contributor in the course of the critical stretch was Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser with eight points, eight rebounds and three blocks. He scored a three-point play and a jumper because the Tropang 5G went ahead 74-72 with lower than two minutes remaining.
The Bolts, nevertheless, took the lead when Chris Newsome buried a three-pointer for a 75-74 advantage, time right down to 28 seconds.
Pogoy, despite his shooting woes, got here through with a 3 of his own for TNT with 7.7 seconds remaining.
Import Marvin Jones had 22 points and 15 rebounds for Meralco within the loss as Newsome was the one local in double-figures with 10.