Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

Basketball

Tropang TNT comes from behind late to steal first win versus Rain or Shine


In arguably the closest game of the 2016 PBA Oppo Governor’s Cup so far, the Tropang TNT used an 11-0 surge to close out a 101-98 squeaker over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters to nab their first win held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.

Talk ‘N Text led by as much as 13, but saw this cushion evaporate in the two middle quarters. Rain or Shine limited the Texters to a quiet 33-point production in the second and third quarter that powered the Painters to a ten-point lead heading into the final frame.

In what seemed a reversal of performance for the two teams, Rain or Shine extended the lead to 90-76 at one point and maintained an eight-point cushion with four minutes left. However, the Texters rallied through well-balanced contributions. The team tied the game at 98 before Jayson Castro delivered the go-ahead triple. In their last possession, the Elasto Painters failed to convert despite getting a deliberate foul on Gabe Norwood, in addition to a foiled inbound play afterward.

The Elasto Painters had more rebounds, 61-49, which alarmed Coach Jong Uichico, but he eventually commended his troops for offsetting it with their late hustle. “(Mario Little) gives us a different dimension to our game, but double effort yung locals. When you play Rain or Shine, we would like to defend decently because we know they can manufacture points. We try to defend pero kailangan maka-score talaga kami.”

TNT had more fastbreak points, 23-19, which were addressed by Jayson Castro after the game. “Mahirap kasi wala yung iba(injured players) then may foul trouble pa samin. Ang maganda samin kasi gusto namin tumakbo kaya ginawa naming advantage yun.”

Mario Little had 18 points on his blue-and-yellow debut, in addition to 11 rebounds and three assists to aid Castro’s outing. For Rain or Shine, five players tallied double-figures, led by Dior Lowhorn’s 20 markers and 10 boards. JR Quinahan chipped 16.

#ReadMore  The Short Corner: A look at the UAAP’s efficiency landscape heading into the Final Four

Tropang TNT will next face the Meralco Bolts (2-0), while Rain or Shine look to bounce back against the Phoenix Fuel Masters (0-2). Both games will be played at 3pm and 5:15 pm at the Big Dome on Saturday.

The Scores:

Tropang TNT (101) – Castro 19, Little 18, Madanly 17, Tautuaa 14, De Ocampo 11, Seigle 9, Reyes R. 7, Carey 3, Rosales 3, Ababou 0, Fonacier 0.

Rain or Shine (98) – Lowhorn 20, Quinahan 16, Lee 13, Cruz 12, Almazan 11, Ahanmisi 9, Trollano 9, Belga 4, Chan 2, Norwood 2, Ponferada 0.

Quarterscores: 31-21, 59-56, 74-85, 101-98

Written By


You May Also Like

Basketball

A change of direction taken by the Korean Basketball League (KBL) team, his camp had spoken to ended Adrian Nocum’s hopes of taking his...

Basketball

Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao is keeping their options open as the team looks for possible upgrades following another PBA semifinal exit....

Basketball

Despite everything that came its way, TNT is marching on to the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup Finals after showing Rain or Shine the...

Basketball

Rain or Shine avoided elimination–for now–following a 113-97 victory over a severely undermanned TNT to take Game 5 of their PBA Season 49 Philippine...

Basketball

From the looks of it, TNT reaching the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup Finals is no longer a matter of how, but has become...

Basketball

Adrian Nocum isn’t going anywhere. The rising star guard on Tuesday signed a fresh three-year extension with Rain or Shine as the franchise clearly...

Basketball

Yeng Guiao didn’t appreciate how rough the opposition got, especially during the second half of Rain or Shine’s eventual victory over TNT in Game...

Basketball

Rain or Shine capitalized on Roger Pogoy’s absence as it handed the depleted TNT a 107-86 beatdown to finally break through in the PBA...

Advertisement