Roger Pogoy led the welcoming committee for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson as he led TNT’s 138-116 mauling of Blackwater for their fourth consecutive win in the PBA Governors’ Cup, Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Much of the attention was on the former NBA cager’s debut but the two-way specialist indeed stole the show, erupting for a season-high 40 points on seven three-pointers alongside nine rebounds to star in the blowout.
But Hollis-Jefferson was as impressive as well, finishing with 37 points on an efficient 61-percent shooting from the field, together with 13 rebounds, seven assists, and a pair of blocks in nearly 35 minutes of action.
“Ano siya na teammate, talagang hinahanap niya kami, namamasa,” said Pogoy of their new import. “Kita mo naman na ano, ilang assists niya sa akin at saka sa mga teammates ko. So siguro din, ganoon din bakit kami nakaka-shoot.”
Pogoy and Hollis-Jefferson ignited the Tropang Giga’s first-half explosion, combining for 40 points to lead their side to a 68-50 lead at the break.
The game would never be in question since, with the lead going as high as 31, 105-74, behind Kib Montalbo’s freebies with 3:09 left in the third.
“You can see Roger has actually more open shots than I’ve seen him in a long time. Ang daming libre, hindi lang si Roger. Because si Rondae, we know that’s one of his skills. He knows how to pass,” said coach Jojo Lastimosa.
“Marunong talaga siya pumasa. And all we gotta do is just knock it down. And these guys, if you give them more opportunities on an open look, they’re gonna knock it down eventually,” the cage legend added.
Mikey Williams made 14 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Glenn Khobuntin tallied a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds while Calvin Oftana supplied 11 markers, eight boards, five dimes, and three steals in the win.
Virtually assured of a quarterfinal spot, the 6-1 TNT will face KJ McDaniels and Meralco next on Friday, 3 p.m. at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Troy Williams, meanwhile, had 22 points, eight rebounds, and six assists against seven turnovers to lead Blackwater in another crushing loss.
JVee Casio backed him up with 21 points, RK Ilagan supplied 16, while Tyrus Hill and Rashawn McCarthy added 15 and 11 markers, respectively, for the Bossing, who absorbed their fifth loss in a row and fell to 1-5.
The road won’t get any tougher for Blackwater as it’s set for a collision course with Barangay Ginebra on Sunday, 4:30 at the Philsports Arena.
The Scores:
TNT 138 – Pogoy 40, Hollis-Jefferson 37, M.Williams 14, Khobuntin 13, Oftana 11, K.Williams 7, Chua 6, Cruz 4, Montalbo 4, Acuno 2, Varilla 0, Marcelo 0, Ganuelas-Rosser 0.
Blackwater 116 – T.Williams 22, Casio 21, Ilagan 16, Hill 15, McCarthy 11, Taha 10, Sena 3, Amer 3, Ayonayon 3, Torralba 3, Banal 2, Ular 2, Escoto 2, Suerte 2, DiGregorio 1.
Quarterscores: 31-22, 68-50, 111-87, 138-116
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
