TNT kept its mastery of Terrafirma through a 131-109 whitewashing in the PBA Governors’ Cup, Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The Tropang Giga wiped out a seven-point deficit through a scorching 17-0 rally abridging the first and second quarters for a 37-27 lead, and would never let up since en route to their 15th straight victory over the franchise.
Coach Jojo Lastimosa’s wards have also won their third in a row this conference, climbing to solo third with a 5-1 card in the team standings.
“We wanted to have a good start today and we talked about not giving them a chance at the beginning,” he said. “Talked about them playing back-to-back games, so we should have better energy and I think we accomplished that.”
“We had 68 points in the first half and they only had, I think, [50]-something points. I was happy about our first half and it’s because of our defense.”
Jalen Hudson, who’s coming off a 56-point outing in their last win versus Converge, bannered TNT with 36 points and six rebounds.
Mikey Williams fired 26 points on a 9-of-15 clip from the field that included five three-pointers, together with four rebounds and six assists.
Roger Pogoy made 16 points, four rebounds, three assists, and a steal in a turnover-less outing. Calvin Oftana tallied a double-double of 15 points and 10 boards, while 41-year-old Kelly Williams chimed in 10 markers.
“We have a lot of players who can score, and one of them is right here on my side. Sometimes, Mikey even passes up a lot of opportunities, which frustrates me sometimes. But I want him to be more aggressive,” Lastimosa said.
“The rest of the other guys, they are skilled. We have Roger, Jalen, Jayson–even Kelly is contributing. Anybody can score as long as we share the ball. We’re going to get good looks. If we get good looks, I think we can finish shots,” he continued.
The Tropa will look to make it four straight against the skidding Blackwater on Wednesday, February 15, 3 p.m. also at the MoA Arena.
Jordan Williams, meanwhile, had 38 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists to lead the Dyip, who got sent crashing back to earth after that 119-106 victory over the Bossing last Thursday that saw the import fire a conference-best 57.
Juami Tiongson made 18 points on 19 points, while Eric Camson added 13 markers in the humiliating loss, their third in five outings.
Terrafirma is headed back to the drawing board before battling Rain or Shine on Thursday, February 16, 4:30 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
TNT 131 – Hudson 36, M.Williams 26, Pogoy 16, Oftana 15, K.Williams 10, Castro 7, Chua 4, Khobunton 5, Montalbo 5, Cruz 3, Marcelo 2, Ganuelas-Rosser 2, Acuno 0.
Terrafirma 109 – J.Williams 38, Tiongson 18, Gomez de Liano 13, Camson 13, Alolino 9, Mina 8, Gabayni 6, Daquioag 2, C ahilig 2, Cabagnot 0, Calvo 0, Ramos 0.
Quarterscores: 31-27, 68-53, 96-77, 131-109
