Troy Rosario missed all of his three shots from beyond the arc in the first half of the TNT KaTropa’s 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup meeting with the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters on Wednesday night.
But that didn’t stop him. Then come the second half, he started knocking down his outside shots.
Rosario sank all of his six treys in the last two quarters. He eventually shot an impressive 11-of-14 from the field en route to a game-high 32 points, along with three rebounds and two assists.
Most importantly, his scoring explosion translated to a 123-118 victory that kept TNT unscathed in three games.
“First half, talagang hindi ako maka-shoot, zero out of three ako. Kailangan ko talagang tuloy-tuloy lang tumira kasi yun talaga yung binibigay sa akin na mga tira, lalong-lalo na sa akin,” said Rosario.
“Good thing na pumasok yung mga tira ko. Nakatulong sa amin para makuha yung panalo.”
The four-year pro then gave credit to import KJ McDaniels — who tallied 32 points, eight rebounds, and six assists — for being a willing passer like Terrence Jones was a conference ago.
“Isa rin yun sa dahilan kasi yun yung pwesto ko dati. Parang nilalaro ko yung pwesto ni Terrence Jones ngayon na spot-up sa three points, get offensive rebounds, paminsan-minsan aatake,” said Rosario, who also flourished playing with Jones.
“Parang si KJ, parang si Terrence Jones din kasi willing passer. Gumagalaw talaga yung bola.”
TNT’s win allows them to gain a share of leadership in the team standings alongside the NLEX Road Warriors. But for Rosario, they can’t be too confident since they expect tougher challenges ahead.
“Marami pang games. Maaga pa para… Yung mga upcoming games namin, halos dikit-dikit din eh,” said the 6-foot-7 forward. “Maglalaro kami sa Sabado ulit, Wednesday din, Sabado ulit.
“Tapos yung last three games namin against San Miguel teams, nasa dulo pa. Kailangan talaga namin makuha yung mga panalong kailangan namin para malaki yung chance pagdating ng end ng elimination.”
