Kim Aurin emerged as the unlikely hero as TNT scraped past San Miguel in overtime, 93-90, to register back-to-back wins for the first time in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup, Saturday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The young guard hardly showed any jitters and knocked down a tough trifecta from the corner — amid a foul from opposing import George King — to give themselves the lead for good at 89-87 with only 25.9 seconds remaining.
He wasn’t able to complete the four-point play, but Aurin didn’t stop, chasing down his own miss to secure the offensive rebound.
The comebacking Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson then came through with another heavy bucket. He scored on a layup off a drive to push their lead to 91-87 with 10.4 seconds to go, as the door slowly closed on their long-time rivals.
(C) PBA Images
King missed his first free throw and intentionally missed the second as the crew tried to regain possession. But the Tropang 5G seemingly read their plan, as Rey Nambatac managed to beat Jericho Cruz to the loose ball.
The lefty guard — who lifted the team past Converge with a game-winning triple — then went on to ice the game with a perfect trip to the line as the defending champions eventually hiked their record to 3-2 in Group A.
“I really don’t know how we did it,” said coach Chot Reyes. “But I know how important mindset is. We could’ve had an attitude where we said, ‘Overtime na naman’ … that’s why I made it a point to reframe it into a positive mindset.”
Aurin finished with a career-high 22 points, spiked by a 6-of-10 clip from three, alongside eight rebounds and a steal to lead TNT despite the flu.
“May nakita akong Bible verse, nakalagay dun sa Isaiah 40:31, ‘Those who hope in the Lord, they will renew their strength.’ Pinanghawakan ko lang ‘yun. Buti na lang, dininig ni Lord ‘yung dasal,” said the Perpetual Help product.
Nambatac produced 21 points and nine rebounds to sustain his fine play, while Hollis-Jefferson made 20 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists in his return.
Poy Erram also enjoyed a triumphant return, finishing with 12 points as TNT welcomed back another key player from the injured list. However, his return came as Roger Pogoy was sidelined with a Grade 1 MCL sprain.
(C) PBA Images
SMB, on the other hand, was led by George King with 35 points and 16 rebounds as he overcame a horrid shooting early to help force OT.
He scored 18 points across the fourth quarter and overtime — including 12 of San Miguel’s 18 points in regulation — virtually outscoring the opposition by himself. The Tropang 5G’s offense went cold and managed just eight points in the fourth quarter, allowing San Miguel to force overtime.
King was also responsible for lifting his side to an 87-86 lead through a layup with about 35 seconds left, only to commit the game-changing foul.
Meanwhile, June Mar Fajardo had 14 points and 12 rebounds. Marcio Lassiter supplied 13 points as the duo brought the team back from down 81-77 early in OT.
Don Trollano added 12 markers, including the bucket from close range that tied the game at 73-all late in regulation, which eventually led to five more minutes.
The Beermen absorbed their second loss in the last three games, but they remained second behind the 5-0 NLEX in Group B with a 4-2 record.
The Scores:
TNT 93 – Aurin 22, Nambatac 21, Hollis-Jefferson 20, Erram 12, Galinato 6, Jalalon 5, Quitevis 4, Ferrer 3, Khobuntin 0, Ganuelas-Rosser 0, Enciso 0, Variila 0.
San Miguel 89 – King 35, Fajardo 14, Lassiter 13, Trollano 12, Cruz 6, Brondial 4, Ahanmisi 3, Tautuaa 2, Ross 0, Hernandez 0, Cahilig 0.
Quarterscores: 25-15, 46-34, 65-55, 73-73, 93-89.
