TNT 106, Blackwater 93 (Courtesy of PBA)
MANILA – TNT returned to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors' Cup in style, dealing hapless Blackwater a 106-93 beating on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
With some of their key players called up to reinforce Gilas Pilipinas during the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers February window over the weekend in the same venue, the Tropang Giga quickly put their international experience to good use, holding the Bossing to just 16 points in the first quarter before erupting for 31 in the third.
TNT even led by 20 points, 87-67, early in the fourth, but Blackwater tried to mount an epic comeback by cutting the lead down to 11, 96-85, with five and a half minutes left, something that coach Chot Reyes rued post game.
"I told the team that these are the games that I fear the most. When everyone expects us to win, the odds are stacked in our favor," Reyes said. "I'm glad that we started fast, and then we had a lot of lapses throughout the game. We weren't able to play a full 48-minute game at the level that we wanted."
Luckily for Tropang Giga, the Bossing failed to sustain the comeback.
Mikey Williams continued to strengthen his push for the Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player awards, leading the now 5-4 TNT club with 23 points, six rebounds, two assists, and four steals.
TNT tied Ginebra for sixth place, although the latter will face NLEX later Friday for a chance to solidify its bid for the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
Aaron Fuller, RR Pogoy, and Ryan Reyes each added 16 points for TNT.
Fuller also had 22 rebounds while Reyes played a perfect game by making all his five field goals, including four triples, and did not commit a turnover.
Shawn Glover came close to a triple-double with 26 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists to lead Blackwater, which fell to its 29th straight loss overall.
Now 0-10 for the conference and 0-21 for the year, the team's last chance to stay away from a winless season is by beating conference-leading Magnolia on Wednesday night.
Jvee Casio added 21 markers, three rebounds, and one assist.
The scores:
TNT 106 – M. Williams 23, Fuller 16, Pogoy 16, Reyes 16, Rosario 8, Alejandro 6, Castro 5, Khobuntin 5, Montalbo 5, Erram 4, K. Williams 2, Banal 0, Heruela 0
BLACKWATER 93 – Glover 26, Casio 21, Suerte 14, McCarthy 7, Desiderio 7, Amer 6, Paras 4, Ebona 4, Ayonayon 2, Baloria 2, Washington 0, Chauca 0, Melton 0, Escoto 0
Quarters: 24-16, 49-36, 80-65, 106-93 (PNA)
