PBA Finals: Troy Rosario redeems himself in Ginebra OT win

Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings’ Troy Rosario during Game 5 of the 2026 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals vs TNT Tropang 5G. –PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—Troy Rosario atoned for a late miscue as Barangay Ginebra moved within a win of the 2026 PBA Commissioner’s Cup title after a 100-95 overtime win over TNT on Friday at Araneta Coliseum.

While Justin Brownlee scored a career-high 54 points, it was  Rosario who played the role of unsung hero for the Gin Kings.

With Ginebra holding six-tenths of a second to win the game in regulation, Rosario went up for an alley-oop off the inbound play but lost control of the ball in the process.

He made sure to make up for it in the extra period.

“That’s how I think every time. If I make a mistake, I’ll get it right back,” he said in Filipino. “Whenever I’m inside, whether it’s on offense or defense, I’ll do it.”

“I just took it upon myself.”

Ginebra held a slim 96-94 lead in overtime when Rosario was left open by TNT’s defense and converted a basket to stretch the lead to 98-94 with 1:43 remaining.

Rosario finished with 10 points and seven rebounds to help Ginebra take a 3-2 series lead.

Coach Tim Cone also praised Rosario for responding after his late fourth-quarter miscue.

“We didn’t want to run pick and rolls with RJ (Abarrientos) and (Justin) Brownlee then have Chris (McCullough) switch so we went and asked Troy to be the ball spacer,” said the veteran tactician. “Those plays down the stretch was dictated by the matchup.”