Almond Vosotros provided the unlikely spark as TNT eliminated the sinking NorthPort from further contention, 94-70, in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup, Friday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Re-signed to address the Tropang 5G’s backcourt problems, the former 3×3 star scored nine of his 12 points in the second frame to power a key 13-1 run toward a 33-21 lead, which was all they needed to break away for good.
The crew manufactured 32 points in total in that quarter to head into the break holding a commanding 52-32 lead. They then faced little resistance en route to chalking up their fifth consecutive win to improve to 5-3.
“Thankful ako sa opportunity. Thankful ako kila coach Chot, sa lahat ng coaching staff, na nabigyan ulit ako ng chance,” said the 35-year-old former PH No. 2 in 3×3 basketball.
(C) PBA Images
Another win against the 1-7 Blackwater — who’s formally out as well following TNT’s latest win — on June 6 should clinch the Grand Slam seekers a spot in the quarterfinals, something that the Batang Pier could no longer achieve.
Still shaken, apparently, by the recent trade in which it sent William Navarro to Magnolia for Calvin Abueva and Jerrick Balanza just last Tuesday, NorthPort saw the bitter end of their playoff hopes as it fell to 1-7 in the standings.
This is a depressing fall-off for a team that rose as a fan favorite just months ago, when the squad reached the semifinals of the Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup behind eventual BPC winner Arvin Tolentino.
But now, two extremely important pieces of that historic campaign are no longer around, with the star winger heading for the Korean Basketball League after signing a three-year deal with the Seoul SK Knights.
The remaining players did put up a fight against the Tropa early. But they could only do so much, eventually falling to their seventh straight loss as the traditional contenders continued their turnaround from a 0-3 start.
“I think the big key was the realization that we’re not the old TNT when we had Rondae and Jayson. That awareness and the acceptance of that reality were the turning point,” said Coach Chot Reyes of his team overcoming a slow start.
Calvin Oftana top-scored for TNT with 15 points and 10 rebounds. RR Pogoy finished with all-around numbers of 13 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
Poy Erram notched an own double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Ditto with Kelly Williams with 11 and 12, while Simon Enciso added 11 as well.
The win, furthermore, served as a warm welcome to the returning Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser. He played his first game back since the Season 48 Philippine Cup quarterfinals as he has now recovered from an ACL injury.
While it was obvious that he’s yet to regain his timing on the floor, the young big man still did well with five points, eight rebounds, two assists, and a block.
(C) PBA Images
On the other hand, Joshua Munzon led NorthPort with 20 points as he was the lone bright spot for a team that could’ve used the services of Abueva.
The ‘Beast’ wasn’t around in his supposed Batang Pier debut, and it remains to be seen if he’ll be suiting up in their three remaining games in this conference.
The Scores:
TNT 94 – Oftana 15, Pogoy 13, Vosotros 12, Erram 11, Enciso 11, Williams 11, Aurin 7, Ganuelas-Rosser 5, Khobuntin 4, Heruela 4, Ebona 1, Varilla 0, Payawal 0, Exciminiano.
NorthPort 70 – Munzon 20, Flores 9, Balanza 9, Cuntapay 7, Bulanadi 5, Jalalon 5, Onwubere 4, Yu 4, Nelle 3, Kwekuteye 2, Nava 2, Taha 0.
Quarterscores: 20-18, 52-32, 70-49, 94-70.
