ANTIPOLO — TNT had to overcome a major endgame threat by Blackwater before coming away with the 99-94 decision to post back-to-back wins anew in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Center here Tuesday.
The Tropang 5G already led by 10 entering the final two minutes, but their foes roared back. Blackwater got to within just a point, 95-94, following a booming trey by Sedrick Barefield over Bol Bol’s outstretched arms with 44.6 seconds to go.
But the Bossing couldn’t find the gear to get ahead. Barefield’s attempt at replicating his shot against the 7-foot-3 wing only hit the front rim, as he didn’t acknowledge the mismatch between Robert Upshaw III and Roger Pogoy.
They refused to foul either on the following possession, and Roger Pogoy took advantage. He dished the rock to a wide-open Calvin Oftana from near the basket to make it a 97-94 advantage with less than six seconds to play.
Upshaw rushed a three-pointer that hit nothing but air, and Bol went on to ice the game with a perfect trip to the foul line with 1.8 ticks to spare.
The win also spoiled the head coaching debut of Pat Aquino for the opposing team.
(C) PBA Images
“We had no illusion that it’s gonna be an easy game for us. We prepared for a hard game as I know the caliber of Coach Pat,” said Coach Chot Reyes, giving flowers to his Gilas Pilipinas Women counterpart not so long ago.
Bol finished with 48 points and 11 rebounds plus a steal and seven blocks to lead TNT, who improved to 4-2 following the escape and joined long-time nemesis Barangay Ginebra at the fourth spot of the standings.
Jayson Castro was the only other player in double digits for the Tropa with 10. The other usual suspects struggled to put the ball through the hoop, but all of them managed to get through the woes and pull out the W.
Instead, it was Blackwater that suffered due to a bad shooting night. The team went just 2-of-25 from three-point distance, with their last miss a what-if, as it could’ve influenced the game’s outcome.
(C) PBA Images
Still, it was a gallant stand for the crew, led by Upshaw with 36 points and seven rebounds plus a block as he overcame early foul trouble.
Dalph Panopio, back playing big minutes after hardly seeing action in their previous games, came through with 17 points, including nine in the deciding period alone. The rook also had nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Barefield and Christian David had 12 apiece, with the latter adding 11 rebounds to his tally, for the Bossing, who fell to 1-5 following the narrow loss.
“The unknown going into this game was we had no idea what they were going to play,” reflected Reyes. “Obviously, Coach Pat has his own system, and they came out with a game that really took advantage of their skills.
“We were just fortunate that Bol bailed us out,” the champion bench tactician added. “But we cannot be like this every single game.”
Both squads are set to play again this week in Montalban. Blackwater will take on Phoenix this Friday, before TNT battles Titan Ultra the following night.
The Scores:
TNT 99 – Bol 48, Castro 10, Nambatac 8, Pogoy 7, Oftana 6, Williams 5, Galinato 5, Nava 4, Ferrer 4, Nieto 2, Chua 0, Rosser 0, Khobuntin 0, Aurin 0
Blackwater 94 – Upshaw 36, Panopio 17, David 12, Barefield 12, Murrell 7, Andrade 3, Mendoza 2, Escoto 2, Zamar 2, Tratter 1, Una 0, Mallilin 0.
Quarterscores: 26-21, 52-40, 77-65, 99-94.
