Calvin Oftana pulled off the biggest of plays down the stretch to help TNT escape Meralco, 100-95, and take Game 1 of their PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinals at the SMART Araneta Coliseum on Sunday evening
The star winger rifled 28 points, none bigger than his three-point play with 2:57 remaining, as it broke the 91-all deadlock and put the Tropang 5G ahead for good to eventually complete the comeback from as much as 21 down.
He then dished out a crucial feed to a cutting Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser moments later to widen the gap to 96-91, and would go on to apply the final touches from the foul line in the final 21.1 seconds to finish off the opposition.
Oftana shot 8-of-17 from the floor and an excellent 11-of-12 from the stripe, alongside seven rebounds and a pair of dimes to banner the traditional contenders’ rally toward gaining the head start in the best-of-7 series.
(C) PBA Images
“In the end, I just told them to be fundamental and defend the point of attack better,” said Coach Chot Reyes as defense proved to be their bread-and-butter on the way to turning things around after falling into a hole so deep.
Rey Nambatac finished with 17 points, eight of which he earned from free throws. Roger Pogoy supplied 16 as the two co-led the second-half surge.
Ganuelas-Rosser chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds plus a block, as the athletic big man was key as well in bringing TNT back into the ball game.
The Tropa will shoot for a 2-0 lead in the all-MVP showdown in Game 2 this Wednesday, January 7, 7:30 p.m., still at the Big Dome.
Chris Banchero, on the other hand, led the Bolts with 16 points on top of four rebounds and two assists. CJ Cansino made 14 points.
The sophomore winger out of UP actually got off to a hot start, scoring 13 of his output in just the opening period to lead his side to a 38-26 advantage.
So in control was Meralco that its lead ballooned to 52-31 during the second chapter before entering the halftime intermission ahead by 16.
But then, TNT clawed its way back thanks to a defensive adjustment by Reyes and the brain trust, and the game would slowly go in its favor as Luigi Trillo’s men gradually lost their spunk and ultimately withered in the end.
(C) PBA Images
The Bolts, though, actually had one last chance to tie the game up as they stared at a 95-98 deficit, but got locked down by the opposing D that Jansen Rios could only settle for an off-balanced three, which missed its target.
Chris Newsome and Raymond Almazan finished with 13 apiece in the collapse, which was similar to their elimination round encounter last October 29.
There, Meralco coughed up a 23-point lead and lost in overtime, 100-98, with Nambatac knocking down the game-winning jumper with barely a second left.
The Scores:
TNT 100 – Oftana 28, Nambatac 17, Pogoy 16, Ganuelas-Rosser 14, Heading 9, Williams 8, Khobuntin 6, Galinato 2, Jalalon 0, Enciso 0, Erram 0.
Meralco 95 – Banchero 16, Cansino 14, Newsome 13, Almazan 13, Hodge 8, Black 6, Reyson 6, Rios 6, Quinto 5, Jose 4, Bates 4.
Quarterscores: 26-38, 46-62, 74-75, 100-95.
#WATCH: WE HAVE TO DO A BETTER JOB IN GAME 2 🏀
TNT head coach Chot Reyes says they have to do better as Meralco broke down their gameplan early #ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/K3F0bu8RAt
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/ptPJptF3ay
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) January 4, 2026
