For a change, TNT faced a different opponent in a leg final of the PBA 3×3.
The result remains the same, though.
The Triple Giga made quick work of Terrafirma, winning 21-11 and securing back-to-back victories in the Second Conference Season 3 on Tuesday at the Ayala Mall Circuit in Makati.
Gryann Mendoza led the team in the Leg 2 final with eight points, stepping in as a late substitute for the injured Matt Salem.
Mendoza and the returning Almond Vosotros spearheaded TNT’s hot start, racing to an 11-6 lead to take control of the 10-minute match.
A Chester Saldua three-pointer put TNT on the hill at 20-11, before Ping Exciminiano sealed the deal with a layup, with plenty of time to spare.
The dominant win earned the Triple Giga another P100,000, following their victory in the opening leg last week.
“Kapag nag-start na ang conference, naka-focus na ako agad sa game namin, hindi ko inaalis yun whatever, kung reserve man ako (o hindi),” said Mendoza, hero of the team’s 18-16 victory over Cavitex in the Leg 1 finale, who was a last-minute call to replace Salem.
Exciminiano finished with five points, Vosotros, reactivated for this leg, and Saldua had four points each, as TNT completed a five-game sweep on their way to the championship.
The runner-up prize of P50,000 was Terrafirma’s best finish since they were runners-up in Leg 4 of Season 1 Third Conference.
The Dyip appeared ready to complete a day of underdogs that saw Blackwater and Pioneer Elastoseal Katibays reaching the semifinals.
But TNT eliminated Pioneer in a tightly-contested semifinal match, winning 20-19. Only one team between Terrafirma and Blackwater would advance, and the Dyip did so with a 21-16 victory.
In the battle for third place, Pioneer Elastoseal took home P30,000 by defeating Blackwater, 22-18.
The Scores:
TNT (21) – Mendoza 8, Exciminiano 5, Vosotros 4, Saldua 4.
Terrafirma (11) – Rios 4, Duremdes 3, Alanes 2, Francisco 2.
