Games tomorrow:
(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
5 p.m. — Ginebra vs San Miguel Beer
7:30 p.m. — Rain or Shine vs TNT
RR Pogoy delivered the key baskets in a decisive fourth-quarter run as TNT Tropang 5G beat Rain or Shine, 98-91, to draw the first blood in their Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinal series Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The guard, who just joined the elite 5,000 points club, was accounted for 10 of the Tropang 5G’s huge 15-7 run to create enough separation to cushion the Elasto Painters’ desperate last-minute push that closed the gap to just four with 16 seconds left.
“Well, I thought our defense held. We know Rain or Shine is the second highest-scoring team in the league. They’re averaging over 100 points per game. So, we really wanted them, if possible, to go below 90. We almost did that, except we gave up a lot of fouls in the end. I think that’s the difference maker,” TNT head coach Chot Reyes said.
The Tropang 5G look to double their semis lead over the same opponent they eliminated in the past two conference Final Four series of the season in Game on Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Pogoy finished with 28 points on the night he received his scoring recognition during the halftime break. The combo guard shot 11-of-25 from the field including a dagger four-pointer with 4:24 left that gave TNT an 84-74 lead.
JP Erram delivered a double-double performance of 16 points and 10 rebounds, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser had 13 markers capped by the icing on the cake two-handed slam for the final count while Simon Enciso and Calvin Oftana finished with 12 points each for the Tropang 5G.
TNT took away Rain or Shine’s running game after limiting the Elasto Painters to just seven fastbreak points after averaging more than 21 points on the break.
“We forced them to play half court and when they play halfcourt we have a better chance of defending them,” Reyes pointed out.
TNT used a blistering 10-0 blast in the last five minutes of the third quarter to turn a 53-56 deficit into a 63-56 advantage before Rain or Shine stopped the bleeding with a late layup by Kristoffer Porter.
The first half turned into a defensive chess match with no team building more than five points of separation.
TNT did a great job clogging the passing lanes and running back in transition to stymie the running game of Rain or Shine, who only had an uncharacteristic five fastbreak points. The Elasto Painters, on the other hand, controlled the Tropang 5G’s perimeter and outside shooting and forced them to commit 10 turnovers.
The opening quarter ended with the score tied at 23 and was also knotted at 41 entering halftime.
A technical issue with the game clock delayed the match for more than five minutes midway into the second quarter.
Andrei Caracut led Rain or Shine, which saw head coach Yeng Guiao ejected after getting two technical fouls with 15.2 seconds left in the game, with 16 points.
Jhonard Clarito had a quiet 14 points and seven rebounds, Adrian Nocum had 13 while Caelan Tiongson and Gabe Norwood had 12 markers apiece.
The scores:
TNT (98) — Pogoy 28, Erram 16, Ganuelas-Rosser 13, Enciso 12, Oftana 12, Heading 11, Khobuntin 6, Williams 0, Galinato 0, Aurin 0, Vosotros 0.
RAIN OR SHINE (91) — Caracut 16, Clarito 14, Nocum 13, Norwood 12, Tiongson 12, Mamuyac 6, Malonzo 6, Santillan 5, Porter 4, Datu 3, Asistio 0.
QUARTERS: 23-23, 41-41, 63-58, 98-91.