Tropang TNT needed that one spark to keep their hopes alive in the top four race of the 2016 PBA Commissioners Cup tournament.
Jayson Castro made his return from injury Monday night and led Tropang TNT to a 114-103 wire-to-wire win over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, sans Yeng Guiao, Monday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Blue and Gold quickly jumped to a 15-4 lead over their opponents in the first four minutes of the game. Slowly, though, Gabe Norwood was able to chip into the lead with six straight points. Rain or Shine were able to close the gap through JR Quinahan and Jericho Cruz to end the quarter down 31-23.
Quinahan then went on a surge early in the second quarter, converting back-to-back three pointers to reduce the advantage, 31-29. However, the recently-acquired Dylan Ababou ended the Quinahan rally with back-to-back jumpers, while David Simon powered his way to the paint in an 11-2 rally to go up by double-digits once more. Frustrated, Raymund Almazan was called for a technical foul with six minutes left in the half. The backcourt of Ryan Reyes and Castro continued the TNT rally. Both combined for 18 first half points to give TNT a 59-44 lead to enter halftime.
TNT’s lead continued to stay in the double-digit mark for much of the third canto. Rain or Shine Elasto Painter assistant coach Caloy Garcia, needing to regroup, called a timeout midway through the quarter. The result was another rally started led by Quinahan, while Jireh Ibanes and Jeff Chan helped cut the lead to just six, 79-73, with just three minutes left in the quarter. Castro, though, responded with a blistering performance eight point, one assist performance in the last three minutes of the quarter to regain a 92-75 lead to enter the final frame.
“Medyo hindi na sumasakit pero sabi lang ni coach just be aggressive on offense and defense para makuha yung rhythm,” said Castro, who had 26 points on 10/14 shooting and four assists in 26 minutes of action. “Gusto ko lang talaga makatulong sa team.”
The Tropang TNT lead continued to balloon in the fourth period, going up as much as 21, 98-77, after a Jai Reyes triple. It never got close, as Tropang TNT evened up their slate at 4-4, after a 114-103 win over ROS.
Even with the win and just a few games left in the elimination round, TNT head coach Jong Uichico admitted that he is still adjusting his rotation. “It’s just different. Personally, different philosophy,” he shared. “Hopefully we get over that hump.”
Besides Castro, five other Tropang TNT players scored in double-digits. Simon grabbed a double-double with 20 points and 14 boards, while Jai Reyes and Ryan Reyes had 12 markers each. Ababou and Troy Rosario added 11 points each as well.
For Rain or Shine, JR Quinahan was the high point, with 25 points on 9/19 shooting. He grabbed 12 boards and drained four triples as well. Mo Charlo played 43 minutes in the game and was able to score 22 points and grab 8 boards. Majority of his points came from the charity stripe, as he was 11/16 from that zone.
Tropang TNT (4-4) will next face Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on Wednesday, March 30 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. On the other hand, Rain or Shine will have head coach Yeng Guiao back on Friday, April 1, as they face the Blackwater Elite at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
The Scores:
TNT (114) – Castro 26, Simon 20, Reyes J. 12, Reyes R. 12, Ababaou 11, Rosario 11, Carey 7, Williams 6, Tautuaa 4, De Ocampo 3, Rosser 2.
Rain or Shine (103) – Quinahan 25, Charlo 22, Cruz 21, Ahanmisi 11, Norwood 8, Chan 5, Almazan 4, Tiu 3, Belga 2, Ibanes 2, Lee 0, Nimes 0, Ponferada 0, Trollano 0.
Quarterscores: 31-23, 59-44, 92-75, 114-103.
