Jolas wins PBA coaching debut with TNT

Games Thursday

(Philsports Arena)

4:30 p.m. – Terrafirma vs Converge

6:45 p.m. – NorthPort vs Meralco

Jojo Lastimosa officially notched his first win as head coach in the Philippine Basketball Association, leading TNT to a 123-119  triumph over a hard-fighting Phoenix Super LPG side Wednesday in the Governors' Cup elimination round at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Taking over as head coach in an interim capacity while concurrently serving as team manager of the squad, the PBA legend's coaching debut was a big hit as he drew double-digit production from six players, led by import Jalen Hudson.

Hudson led the way with 34 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, but his all-around performance was supplanted by balance contribution from the local players of the Tropang Giga, who hit a total of 17 three-point shots to survive the Fuel Masters.

Roger Pogoy ended with 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the floor, while Calvin Oftana contributed 17 points, including a perfect 4-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc.

Kelly Williams, Jayson Castro and new recruit Justin Chua each wound up with 10 for TNT, which played minus injured players Poy Erram, Ryan Reyes and Brina Heruela.

The Scores:

TNT 123 – Hudson 34, Pogoy 21, Oftana 17, Chua 10, K.Williams 10, Castro 10, M.Williams 9, Tungcab 9, Khobuntin 3, Varilla 0, Montalbo 0, Marcelo 0.

PHOENIX 119 – Maxwell 21, Perkins 20, Garcia 18, Tio 16, Serrano 12, Jazul 11, Alejandro 8, Muyang 5, Camacho 4, Soyud 2, Manganti 2, Lojera 0, Lalata 0, Adamos 0, Go 0

QUARTERS: 29-33, 60-60, 93-89, 123-119