ANTIPOLO — Bol Bol sparked the game-changing rally that ultimately enabled TNT to escape NLEX with a 103-97 decision for their first win of the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Center on Sunday night.
The 7-foot-3 winger knocked down a jumper to send the match into a deadlock, before Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Jordan Heading came through to make it an 8-0 run en route to a 97-91 lead for the Tropang 5G with 1:33 remaining.
Robert Bolick did pull the Road Warriors to within two, 99-97, following a four-pointer with 4.6 seconds left, but was assessed a flagrant foul penalty 1 after replays showed that he hit Calvin Oftana with a knee while shooting.
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Oftana was then given two free throws, which he both made, and they retained possession as well, and he’d also do the honors of settling the final count when he got sent to the foul line anew with exactly three seconds left to play.
Bol finished with 40 points and 15 rebounds in a solid bounce-back after their conference debut got spoiled by Rain or Shine in a heated match last Friday.
“My entire pregame was very simple … I just boiled it down to effort,” offered head coach Chot Reyes. “The reason I was very upset about our loss in the last game was that I felt Rain or Shine simply outworked us.
“For us, effort is of sacred value. We can accept teams outplaying us, being better than us, but we cannot accept losing the effort battle,” he added.
Heading supplied 15 points, while Oftana and Ganuelas-Rosser delivered identical numbers of 14 points and four rebounds for the midseason joust’s defending champs, who exploded for 37 big points in the fourth quarter.
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“NLEX is a tough team to play. They’re the most disciplined team in the league. They’re making great play after great play. It’s our ability to make a stop that determined the victory,” said Reyes as they held NLEX to 25 in the last frame.
Cady Lalanne led the Road Warriors with 25 points and 21 rebounds. Bolick made 21 atop four rebounds and nine assists, but they still fell to their first loss after pulling off wins against Blackwater and Magnolia to start the meet.
Tony Semerad and Deschon Winston supplied 18 points apiece in the tough defeat, in which they blew a 72-66 lead entering the deciding chapter.
The Scores:
TNT 103 – Bol 40, Heading 15, Rosser 14, Oftana 14, Nambatac 6, Castro 5, Ferrer 3, Jalalon 2, Nieto 2, Chua 2, Enciso 0, Galinato 0.
NLEX 97 – Lalanne 25, Bolick 21, Winston 18, Semerad 18, Alas 5, Gonzales 3, Rodger 3, Torres 2, Racal 2, Fajardo 0, Bahio 0, Herndon 0.
Quarterscores: 21-21, 43-45, 66-72, 103-97.
