Kelly Williams heated up from downtown to lead TNT to a 109-95 overtime victory against the hard-luck Terrafirma to notch their fourth straight win in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup, Friday at the Ynares Center II in Montalban.
The 43-year-old knocked down eight threes for 28 points, three of which he made in the extra period as he powered the Tropang 5G’s, finishing 17-3 blast after both squads found themselves knotted at 92-all at the end of regulation.
He hit his first trey in OT to put his side ahead, and then hit the second to cap a 10-0 run toward a 102-92 lead with 1:58 left to take control for good.
The 2008 MVP then hit his last at the 1:27-mark to put them back again by a decade at 105-95, serving as the nail in the coffin that ultimately enabled the perennial contenders to complete the comeback from 16 points down.
Williams shot 10-of-16 from the field and also tallied 11 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block as his explosive night helped TNT keep in step with Rain or Shine on top of the standings as the two now tote similar 5-1 records.
(C) PBA Images
“As one of the leaders of this team, we always talk about his responsibility to lead by example, to model the kind of behavior that we want from the younger players, the other players in this team,” said Coach Chot Reyes.
“In the end, we go with what’s working, and tonight it was Kelly’s three-point shot,” he added as the 19-year vet sank half of the team’s total triples.
Roger Pogoy delivered 21 points. Calvin Oftana supplied 15 points and six rebounds while Rey Nambatac made 14 points and seven rebounds as the trio were also crucial in orchestrating another fightback.
Behind the three, TNT opened the fourth quarter with a 12-3 run to erase a seven-point deficit and turn it to a 79-77 lead, setting up a tight affair.
Also playing a key role in the turnaround was Jio Jalalon, who finished with seven points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals as he reprised his role in their come-from-behind win against Meralco the last time out.
TNT will now shift its focus to quick recovery as last season’s double champs are returning to action this Sunday against Magnolia–still in Montalban.
(C) PBA Images
Jerrick Ahanmisi, on the other hand, led Terrafirma with 26 points and eight rebounds, but his efforts weren’t enough as they lost their fourth straight.
Ahanmisi actually went a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line, and that included the trip that tied the game up at 92-all with 23.1 seconds left in regulation, but that proved to be his final points as the Dyip suddenly lost gas in OT.
Brent Paraiso finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists. Louie Sangalang and Aljon Mariano added 10 apiece, with the latter scoring their only points in extra time, in the defeat that dropped their record to 1-5.
Terrafirma will look to snap out of its slump against Phoenix on November 12, Wednesday, in Montalban in a clash between teams with similar cards.
The Scores:
TNT 109 – Williams 28, Pogoy 21, Oftana 15, Nambatac 14, Jalalon 7, Ganuelas-Rosser 6, Ferrer 6, Khobuntin 5, Heading 5, Galinato 2, Enciso 0, Nieto 0, Aurin 0.
Terrafirma 95 – Ahanmisi 26, Paraiso 13, Sangalang 10, Mariano 7, Bravo 7, Zaldivar 7, Hernandez 7, Rivero 5, Olivario 4, Hanapi 3, Catapusan 3.
Quarterscores: 16-20, 35-49, 67-74, 92-92, 109-95.
