NT came from behind to beat NLEX, 107-102, and take the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup quarterfinal opener, Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Calvin Oftana connived for the crucial 7-0 run en route to the 100-91 lead with 1:30 left to play, as the Tropang Giga eventually completed the fightback after being down by 13 points early.
“At the end of the day, it comes down to willpower, having that extra push, that extra gear. At the end of the day, you are going to slow down, so kick it into overdrive,” offered the former NBA veteran post-game.
RHJ finished with 45 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists to power the defending champions in drawing first blood in the best-of-5 series.
The reigning Best Import was instrumental in their second-half surge, most especially in the fourth as he helped erase the 80-75 deficit with 9:10 left.
He scored four straight to trim the gap to a point, and his big shots seemed infectious after Glenn Khobuntin nailed back-to-back hits of his own to take the lead for good, 84-80, approaching the midway mark of the final period.
Then came the aforementioned run, with Oftana scoring the last five of it, capped by a booming trey, to make it a nine-point lead.
Oftana, like Hollis-Jefferson, overcame a sluggish start and went on to finish with eight points — all of which he scored in the final period,
“We have those moments where we make mistakes, but just stick with it. Chot believed in him and put him back out there, you guys saw what happened,” said Hollis-Jefferson as he lauded the young winger out of San Beda.
Roger Pogoy supplied 13 points. Jayson Castro made 12 points, five rebounds, and five assists, while Rey Nambatac added 11 in the win.
The Tropa will look to take the 2-0 lead in the race-to-3 affair on Friday, 7:30 p.m. at the Sta. Rosa Multi-Purpose Complex in Laguna.
DeQuan Jones, on the other hand, had 38 points, spiked by a pair of four-pointers, and 12 rebounds to lead the Road Warriors in the defeat.
The Scores:
TNT 107 – Hollis-Jefferson 45, Pogoy 13, Castro 12, Nambatac 11, Williams 9, Oftana 8, Khobuntin 7, Erram 7, Erram 2, Aurin 0, Exciminiano 0, Heruela 0.
NLEX 102 – Jones 38, Valdez 11, Amer 11, Bolick 10, Rodger 9, Mocon 8, Miranda 7, Semerad 3, Torres 3, Policarpio 2.
Quarterscores: 24-29, 41-49, 73-71, 107-102.
