Rain or Shine and San Miguel were both pushed to the brink, but both managed to pull out critical Game 5 wins in thrilling PBA Governors' Cup quarterfinals showdowns. Group B's top seed Rain or Shine survived a seesaw 113-103 battle against Magnolia to earn a spot against TNT, while San Miguel delivered the decisive blow 109-105 to Converge, and booked their ticket to face Ginebra in the semifinals.
Let's dive into these hard-fought Game 5s and see how these teams managed to win.
San Miguel averts series meltdown
San Miguel's early struggles were evident in the first quarter, as they trailed 34-12 after just 12 minutes. For many teams, blowing a 2-0 series lead and getting off to a slow start in a do-or-die Game 5 would have been the final straw. But San Miguel is no ordinary team, and with June Mar Fajardo leading the charge, they refused to fold.
Fajardo delivered a monster performance, racking up 40 points and 24 rebounds, single-handedly willing his team to victory and stopping Converge from completing a reverse sweep. His dominance in the paint was undeniable. He took took 27 shots, drew fouls left and right, sank 10 of 12 free throws and forced Converge's Justin Arana into foul trouble. Converge put up a fight, with import Jalen Jones pouring in 29 points and Alec Stockton adding 22, giving them multiple chances to turn the game around.
But a troubling issue for San Miguel was the cold shooting from Fajardo's supporting cast. Despite the attention Fajardo drew in the post, which created open looks, the team managed only 26.7% from beyond the arc, leaving plenty of points on the table. If San Miguel aims to advance to the finals, they will need to check this box offensively.
Rain or Shine grinds it out against Magnolia
The tone of the series was set early on. If Magnolia could have keep control in the first half they could have never looked back. But when the game stayed close, Rain or Shine found a way to win in the clutch. It was almost the opposite of how these teams succeeded during the elimination round, yet this pattern held true until the end of the series -- Rain or Shine had just enough offense to edge Magnolia out in Game 5.
Rain or Shine still didn't have their best shooting night from beyond the arc, but they leaned on aggressive drives from their local crew and Aaron Fuller's dominance inside -- shooting an impressive 66% from two-point range (33-50 FG). When crunch time came, it was Andrei Caracut who stepped up with timely, self-created buckets to seal the win. He finished with 14 points. Adrian Nocum and Jhonard Clarito also made key contributions, each scoring 17 points. As Rain or Shine looks ahead to the semifinals, they'll need even more players to step up, just as Beau Belga, Keith Datu, and Leonard Santillan did in Game 5, combining for 31 crucial points.