Calvin Oftana starred once more as TNT came from behind and snapped NLEX’s fiery run, 104-101, in a thrilling PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup out-of-town encounter at the Candon City Arena in Ilocos Sur, Saturday night.
The young winger finished with a career-high tying 37 points, 27 of which he made in the second half that saw him fire 13 in the fourth quarter alone to lead the Tropang Giga reversal from a 90-78 deficit early in the said chapter.
He shot 55-percent from the floor and collected 12 rebounds and six assists but he also came through on defense when it mattered most, contesting the potential game-tying layup of Tony Semerad with 30.0 seconds left.
That stop, furthermore, saved the effort of Roger Pogoy, who nailed the go-ahead triple to give themselves the 103-101 lead with 2:51 to go.
With the comeback win, TNT has now won twice in a row for its first winning streak of the season-ending conference, hiking its record to 4-3 to gain a share of the fourth spot of the team standings with Barangay Ginebra.
Coincidentally, it will be the Kings which the Tropa are facing next on April 19, Friday, 7:30 p.m. at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Pogoy delivered hugely in the triumph as well with 21 points on three triples and seven rebounds. Jayson Castro registered a 16-6-5 stat line.
Glenn Khobuntin chipped in 11 points, including the split from the free throw line with exactly 14 seconds left to play for the eventual scoreline.
Khobuntin came up big on the defensive end, too, as he prevented Robert Bolick from having a good look from deep when the Road Warriors star aimed for the game-tying three-pointer. He missed as time expired.
Robbie Herndon, on the other hand, tied his career-high with 25 points to lead NLEX, whose four-game winning streak came to an end.
Bolick finished with 23 points, five rebounds, and seven assists, still registering such numbers despite going 6-for-16 from the floor. He missed all four of his attempts from deep, including the aforementioned shot.
Michael Miranda had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field, including a perfect 3-of-3 clip from beyond the arc, while Dom Fajardo added 14 points.
Fajardo actually had the chance to become one of his team’s endgame heroes when he went after and secured the miss of Bolick with 16.1 seconds left, but lost his balance and fell out of bounds, leading to a crucial turnover.
Despite the loss, NLEX remains at no. 2 in the standings with a 5-2 record, sitting just behind the undefeated San Miguel Beer (5-0).
NLEX will look to get back to its winning ways against Phoenix next Saturday, April 20, 3 p.m. at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
The Scores:
TNT 104 – Oftana 37, Pogoy 21, Castro 16, Khobuntin 11, Galinato 7, B. Ganuelas-Rosser 5, K.Williams 4, Montalbo 3, Ponferrada 0, Reyes 0, Aurin 0.
NLEX 101 – Herndon 25, Bolick 23, Miranda 17, Fajardo 14, Semerad 6, Valdez 6, Nieto 4, Marcelo 3, Amer 2, Nermal 1, Rodger 0, Anthony 0, Pascual 0.
Quarterscores: 29-27, 49-57, 76-87, 104-101.
