Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 21) — Jayson Castro knocked down the game winner to carry the TNT Tropang Giga past the San Miguel Beermen, 86-84, in Game 1 of the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup finals.
Castro nailed the clutch jumper with 0.1 seconds left in front of more than 8,000 fans Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. He finished the match with 15 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
Relying on the outside shooting of Simon Enciso and CJ Perez, the Beermen surged to a 10-4 start to dictate the tempo in the opening period.
As the Tropang Giga struggled to get their offense going, San Miguel converted its shots to build a 49-37 advantage at the halftime break.
Filipino-American NBA star guard Jordan Clarkson was in attendance at the Big Dome. He has been training with Gilas Pilipinas for the fourth window of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
RR Pogoy and Mikey Williams did the heavy lifting for TNT, uncorking a 13-0 run to grab the lead midway in the third quarter.
The Tropang Giga capitalized on the momentum to take a six-point edge heading into the payoff frame.
The Beermen made a late run courtesy of a short stab by June Mar Fajardo and a three-point play from Vic Manuel to tie the contest with 53 seconds remaining in the fourth canto.
Pogoy and Williams paced TNT with 26 points and 21 points, respectively.
Meanwhile, Fajardo showed the way for San Miguel with 24 markers and 16 boards.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven championship is scheduled on Aug. 24, also at the Big Dome.
