KELLY Williams delivers a dagger that lifted the TNT Tropang 5G to a 109-95 victory over Terrafirma in the PBA 50th Season Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center in Montalban, Rizal on Friday.
Photograph COURTESY OF PBA
Daily TribuneKELLY Williams delivers a dagger that lifted the TNT Tropang 5G to a 109-95 victory over Terrafirma in the PBA 50th Season Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center in Montalban, Rizal on Friday.
Photograph COURTESY OF PBA
Williams helps TNT avert upset ax
Games today:
(Ynares Center-Antipolo)
5:15 p.m. — Blackwater
vs Converge
7:30 p.m. — NLEX
vs Rain or Shine
Ageless wonder Kelly Williams turned back the hands of time and found his range from the long distance to rescue TNT from an upset-conscious Terrafirma, 109-95, in overtime in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Philippine Cup on Friday at the Ynares Center-Montalban.
The 43-year-old Williams sank three of his eight triples in the extension to bail out the Tropang 5G from 16 points down for their fourth straight win and a share of the top spot with Rain or Shine with a 5-1 win-loss record.
Williams opened the extra five minutes with a booming three-pointer that sparked TNT’s 10-0 run he capped with another banger from the trifecta for a 102-92 lead in the last 1:57.
The elder statesman swished in another trey for good measure when the Dyip broke the ice with a three-point play for the closing 7-0 blitz.
“I just try to keep myself ready. I know that coach is gonna put me in any kind of situation. Sometimes just guarding the bigs, sometimes just switching off and guarding the guards. So, I just make sure I’m ready for anything. I’m practicing threes just like everybody else,” Williams said after finishing his night with a game-high 28 points.
Williams shot 10-of-16 from the field, scoring nine each in the fourth quarter and overtime, and was 8-for-13 from the three-point area. He also grabbed 11 rebounds with three assists, one steal and one block in efficient 39 minutes of action.
RR Pogoy added 21 points while Calvin Oftana, who had a chance to win the game in regulation but missed his jumper at the buzzer, had 15 markers for the Tropang 5G.
TNT head coach Chot Reyes was relieved with the comeback but wasn’t too happy with the result.
“I really believe in sports sometimes when you lose, you really win. And sometimes when you win, you really lose. I think this is one of the times, I mean the scoreboard shows that we win but we really lost this game in my mind,” he said.
“Terrafirma completely outplayed us. We had no energy. We had no urgency and we were lucky Kelly bailed us out.”
Terrafirma was in full control of the first three quarters, not giving TNT an inch. The Dyip erected their biggest lead at 16 after Brent Paraiso nailed a jumper for a 51-35 advantage with 11:24 in the third period.
TNT, however, kept fighting and patiently waited for an opening to spark the comeback.
The Tropang 5G outscored Terrafirma, 32-25, in the third canto to trim down their deficit to just seven heading into the final period.
Jio Jalalon came up with big plays in the fourth quarter, hitting a triple before dishing out to RR Pogoy for the go-ahead jumper, 78-77, with 8:14 left in regulation.
Maverick Ahanmisi tied the game at 92 with two crucial charities with 23.1 seconds left in the fourth. TNT called time but Oftana’s shot rattled off the rim, dragging the game into an extension.
Ahanmisi set a new career-best 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds but his efforts weren’t enough to save the Dyip from a fourth straight defeat for a 1-5 slate tied with Phoenix at the bottom.
Brent Paraiso had 13 markers and 11 assists while Aljon Mariano and Louie Sangalang scored 10 each.
The scores:
TNT (109) — Williams 28, Pogoy 21, Oftana 15, Nambatac 14, Jalalon 7, Ganuelas-Rosser 6, Ferrer 6, Khobuntin 5, Heading 5, Galinato 2, Enciso 0, Nieto 0, Aurin 0
TERRAFIRMA (95) — Ahanmisi 26, Paraiso 13, Sangalang 10, Mariano 7, Bravo 7, Zaldivar 7, Hernandez 7, Rivero 5, Olivario 4, Hanapi 3, Catapusan 3
QUARTERS: 16-20, 35-49, 67-74, 92-92, 109-95
