Roger Pogoy made a masterful recovery en route to a late-game explosion that helped TNT Tropang 5G pull off a 101-84 win over Meralco in the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup late Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Pogoy admitted that he was forced to step up after getting a mouthful from Tropang 5G head coach Chot Reyes after committing a turnover in the third period.

“When Coach Chot got angry, I knew I had to step up and be a leader in the team,” said Pogoy, who erupted for 16 of his 34 points in the fourth period to lead the Tropang 5G to their third straight win after starting the tournament with three straight losses.

“Coach scolded me, asking ‘what were you trying to do?’ When I’m sent back to the game, I told myself I’ll make it up.”

The 32-year-old veteran said their focus should always be on defense. Fortunately for him, his offense clicked as he knocked down five three-pointers to put the Tropang 5G out of harm’s way.

“Coming to this game, the focus is always on defense and the offense will just follow,” Pogoy said. “I’m grateful and blessed that my shots went in.”

Right now, TNT is at the seventh spot with a 3-3 record. They will not play until 21 May in which they will battle Rain or Shine at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

Reyes said they will use their nine-day break to rest and recover.

“It’s a big deal that we’ve just gone through the first half of our schedule. Admittedly, I wanted it to be a better record than this, but we can’t complain with 3-3 given the way we started,” Reyes said.

“The key now, No. 1, is the recovery. Roger got hit by cramps and we all know Ray (Nambatac) might be suffering from a groin injury. We have to make sure that we can recover well in these next few days while at the same time staying sharp.”