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IMPORT. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in action for the TNT Tropang Giga in the 2024-25 PBA Commissioner's Cup.
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Bouncing back from a stunning loss to erstwhile winless Terrafirma, TNT posts its biggest winning margin of the PBA Commissioner's Cup by dealing Phoenix a sound beating
ANTIPOLO, Philippines – A shock loss to the worst team in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup drove TNT to bounce back in the most convincing way possible.
The Tropang Giga posted their biggest winning margin of the conference after dealing Phoenix a 106-70 shellacking of Phoenix at the Ynares Center on Friday, January 24.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson produced 15 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals as TNT rebounded from a stunning 117-108 defeat to erstwhile winless Terrafirma two days prior.
The loss ended the Tropang Giga’s six-game winning streak, with the Dyip avoiding what would have been the third time they ended a conference without a win.
“We talked about this before the last game, it’s really hard to play teams that have nothing to lose,” said TNT head coach Chot Reyes. “I take full responsibility because I failed to prepare the players enough for a situation like that.”
“The disappointing part was our defense was non-existent in that last game and that was all we talked about yesterday in practice. We wanted to make sure that we go back to who we are, the way we play defense.”
And the Tropang Giga certainly put the clamps on the Fuel Masters as they limited Phoenix to its lowest scoring output of the conference.
The Fuel Masters made only 28 field goals on a 38% clip and recorded more turnovers (23) than assists (14).
Roger Pogoy chalked up 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Calvin Oftana and Kim Aurin chipped in 11 points each in a balanced scoring attack that saw all but one of TNT’s 16 players score.
The Tropang Giga mounted commanding 78-50 lead at the end of the third quarter, prompting Reyes to field his reserves for the final frame.
Henry Galinato made the most of his playing time and put up 8 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 steals in 14 minutes, while Kelly Williams and Rey Nambatac also tallied 8 points each.
“If we played defense like last game, we have no chance of wining. Coach Chot reminded us that for us to win, we need to defend,” said Pogoy as TNT improved to 7-3 to tie Meralco and guest team Eastern at third place.
Tyler Tio paced Phoenix with 14 points, while import Donovan Smith got limited to just 11 points on 5-of-15 shooting and committed a game-high 6 turnovers, although he grabbed 15 rebounds.
Kai Ballungay chimed in 11 points as the Fuel Masters concluded their campaign with a 3-9 record.
The Scores
TNT 106 – Hollis-Jefferson 15, Pogoy 12, Oftana 11, Aurin 11, Nambatac 8, Williams 8, Galinato 8, Castro 6, heruela 6, Razon 6, Ebona 4, Khobuntin 4, Exciminiano 3, Payawal 2, Erram 2, Varilla 0.
Phoenix 70 – Tio 14, Smith 11, Ballungay 11, Manganti 7, Tuffin 6, Jazul 5, Perkins 5, Muyang 2, Garcia 2, Alejandro 1, Rivero 0, Salado 0, Verano 0, Daves 0, Camacho 0.
Quarters: 24-21, 49-35, 78-50, 106-70.
– Rappler.com
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