Terrafirma caught fire from deep to outlast no less than defending champions TNT in overtime, 111-106, and lay its three-game losing slide to rest in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, Saturday night.
The Tropang 5G appeared to be on their way to completing the comeback from 18 down when RR Pogoy gave them a 104-98 lead, but the Dyip refused to suffer yet another heartbreak after very close losses in their harrowing skid.
Juami Tiongson buried a pair of three-pointers, before Joseph Eriobu and Maverick Ahanmisi knocked down one apiece as the troika pieced together the decisive 12-2 assault toward a 110-106 lead with 35.3 seconds remaining.
JM Bravo then did his part by denying Darius Days with a big block with 27.2 seconds left, and Tiongson would go on to push their lead to two possessions—and the eventual scoreline—to shut the door on the Tropang 5G.
(C) PBA Images
“Siguro kulang lang ‘yung effort sa last three losses. Sabi ko nga, hinihintay pa ng team ang malamangan bago humabol,” reflected head coach Ronald Tubid.
“Everyday in practice, sinasabi namin na kaya naman natin, as long as we play our A-game,” he added as his team improved to 2-3. “Kailangan lang maano ng players na kaya naman; if we keep on competing, may chance manalo.”
Justin Strings finished with 36 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists to lead Terrafirma, which more than doubled their foes’ output in the second period, 31-15, to build a 50-35 lead at the half before the Tropa rallied.
Tiongson fired 24 points off the bench, including seven in OT, while Ahanmisi delivered 20 points, six rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a block.
The Dyip will try to get a win run going when they take on a Macau side with renewed hopes on Wednesday, July 29, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Jordan Heading had 29 points and nine rebounds for TNT, which stumbled to its second loss in a row after winning its debut versus the guest team last July 19.
The lefty playmaker himself forced OT with a tough floater with three-tenths of a second left in regulation, allowing his side to stay alive in the ball game after being down by 11, 84-73, with less than six minutes to go in the fourth.
He even gave them the 106-101 lead with 1:59 left in the extra period, but it proved to be their last basket of the game as Terrafirma pulled away.
(C) PBA Images
Pogoy had 23 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals in his first game since signing a fresh three-year extension with the franchise.
Rey Nambatac made 19 points, Kim Aurin delivered 18 on four treys, while import Darius Days chipped in 10 markers and five boards in the defeat.
TNT will look to arrest its skid as soon as possible when the traditional contenders go head-to-head with Converge on Tuesday, July 28, also at NAS.
The Scores:
Terrafirma 111 – Strings 36, Tiongson 24, Ahanmisi 20, Bravo 9, Chiu 8, Umali 6, Eriobu 6, Mariano 2, Hanapi 0, Paraiso 0, Catapusan 0.
TNT 106 – Heading 29, Pogoy 23, Nambatac 19, Aurin 18, Days 10, Galinato 2, Hill 2, Ferrer 2, Khountin 1, Jalalon 0, Enciso 0, Varilla 0, Quitevis 0.
Quarterscores: 19-20, 50-35, 72-61, 94-94, 111-106.
