Tyler Bey made a good account of himself as Magnolia took down TNT in a clash of depleted teams, 110-102, for a triumphant start to the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup, Sunday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The 25-year-old native of Las Vegas, Nevada finished with 31 points and 20 rebounds.
And his performance highlight was the two-handed jam to clean up Ian Sangalang’s miss with 24.2 seconds left. That served as the final blow that brought the Tropang Giga down to the mat once and for all.
“He’s an energy guy,” said head coach Chito Victolero. “But he has a lot of adjustment na kailangang gawin. Tyler is very athletic, can play on both ends of the floor, but I always tell him about the discipline and chemistry with the guys.
“But we’re very patient with Tyler. We keep on telling him what to do, and how to help the team. Ang maganda rito sa batang ‘to, he always listens, has a great attitude and character. That’s why the team loves him,” he added.
Mark Barroca finished with 19 points, while Paul Lee produced 17 points.
The star guards helped man the fort for a Magnolia side that’s without Calvin Abueva, who’s still recovering from a hemorrhoidectomy two months ago.
As glad as he was with the win, Victolero would still want to see more consistency from his wards, particularly in maintaining big leads.
The Hotshots led by 19 points during the fourth quarter but the Tropang Giga got to as close as six, 106-100, with 1:24 left to play,
Good thing for them, Bey was there to prevent any collapse from taking place following his big jam, eventually settling the final result.
“We need to be consistent. We’re leading the game but meron kaming time na nagrerelax kami,” said the former Coach of the Year.
Quincy Miller, meanwhile, finished with 37 points and 14 rebounds to lead TNT, who’s still without Mikey Williams and the recovering Roger Pogoy.
Calvin Oftana backed him up with 28 points as they sparked the Tropa’s fourth-quarter rally. Kelly Williams added 14 in the defeat.
The Scores:
Magnolia 110 – Bey 31, Barroca 19, Lee 17, Dionisio 9, Sangalang 9, Dela Rosa 8, Laput 8, Jalalon 5, Ahanmisi 4, Tratter 0, Eriobu 0.
TNT 102 – Miller 37, Oftana 28, K.Williams 14, Ganuelas-Rosser 6, Castro 5, Cruz 5, Ponferrada 3, Aurin 0, Reyes 0, Tungcab 0, Heruela 0.
Quarterscores: 26-16, 56-49, 81-73, 110-102.
