WITH more firepower, TNT KaTropa leaned on a strong third-quarter finish and a steady fourth period to wallop ailing Phoenix, 110-103, to improve its stand in the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.
After a disappointing debut game last week, TNT import Glan Rice Jr. finally proved his worth, exploding for a game-high 38 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a complete game.
Kelly Williams had 18 points off the bench for more support for TNT.
The victory improved the Tropang Texters to 3-2 in the middle of the pack while the woes continued for the Fuel Masters as they lost their sixth straight game after winning their first two, falling further down with a 2-6 slate with only three games remaining in their schedule.
Following a nip-and-tuck affair for most of the first three cantos, the Tropang Texters finally got themselves going late in the third period, where they erected a key run to grasp control.
TNT KaTropa ended the period on a 15-5 run to turn a three-point deficit into an 86-79 advantage heading into the payoff frame.
From that point, the Commissioner’s Cup runner-up maintained its distance from Phoenix, keeping the Fuel Masters at bay before finally securing the win.
Phoenix was unable to put up a threatening run in the fourth, allowing TNT to get out of the woods.
Aside from Troy Rosario, who is still serving the country for the South East Asian Games in Malaysia, other National team mainstays already made their return to their respective teams for this game.
TNT’s starting backcourt of Jayson Castro and Roger Pogoy are back for the Tropang Texters, while sharp-shooter Matthew Wright also made his return for the Fuel Masters.
The Texters also drew 14 points from Ranidel De Ocampo, while Pogoy and Castro added 13 and 11 points, respectively, in their first game back.
Phoenix import Brandon Brown had a splendid night, tallying game-highs of 49 points and 19 rebounds, along with five assists but his effort went for naught as the Fuel Masters once again failed to finish the game strong.