Allen Durham committed one costly turnover in the final seconds of Game Three of the 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup semifinal series between the Meralco Bolts and TNT KaTropa on Thursday night.
The two-time Best Import thought that Cliff Hodge was wide open in the right corner, so he swung the ball to him. Unfortunately for him, though, the veteran bruiser was actually outside — among those benched.
That paved the way for the KaTropa to take home the 101-97 win, moving them on the cusp of the Finals.
“I had the ball and I just saw a white jersey from my peripheral. Cliff was over there with his hands up. I don’t know what happened, but I just saw it so I tried to swing the ball,” the 31-year-old American forward recalled.
“But he wasn’t in the playing court. That’s what happened.”
Still, Durham did not let that particular error define how the Orangemen’s game.
Meralco actually had control early on with a 13-point advantage, 42-29, in the second quarter. But the KaTropa exploded in the third canto and even led by 11, 82-71, in the final frame.
Still, the Bolts kept fighting, and they soon regained the lead, 97-96, behind Chris Newsome with 1:58 to go.
That is, until Jayson Castro and KJ McDaniels put TNT back on top, 100-97, with 35.9 seconds left.
Meralco still had an opportunity to tie the game, but Allein Maliksi missed his three-pointer. Roger Pogoy’s missed freebies kept the door open, until that turnover happened with 11.3 seconds left.
“It was unfortunate, a crucial time of the game, but it didn’t come down to just one play,” said Durham, who finished with 32 points, 19 rebounds, and seven assists in nearly 47 minutes of playing time.
“Even if we could’ve tied it or something if we made a shot, we gotta be better before it gets down to a play like that,” he added.
“I really think this is a game that we let get away from us.”
Gane Four is on Saturday, and the Bolts’ season is on the line. For Durham, they will treat it as a championship match.
“We gotta lay it all out on the line. We can’t worry about Game Five or anything. This is our championship, this is our final, we gotta win it. We gotta win it to keep going on.”
