๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป
The TNT Tropang 5G took a step closer to a Grand Slam as RR Pogoy spearheaded the squadโs final surge to nail a 98-91 triumph over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in Game 1 of their best-of-seven semifinals series in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday, June 25.
Responding to a late Elasto Painters scoring blitz, Pogoy, who recently joined the leagueโs 5,000 points club, orchestrated the Tropang 5Gโs 11-point run by draining a series of long-range baskets with less than six minutes to go, taking the 1-0 series lead despite the late scare.
"Siguro 'yung hindi pagmamadali, dahan-dahan lang. 'Yun 'yung malaking tulong. Palaging sinasabi sa akin ng mga coaches na 'pag umaatake, dahan-dahan lang kasi palagi akong nagkka-turnover dati so ayun 'yung malaking factor,โ the 33-year-old said.
The veteran guard posted 28 pointsโ13 of which were scattered in the fourthโwhile also adding two rebounds and four assists to keep his squad on track to becoming just the fifth franchise in league history to win all three conferences in one season since the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers in 2014.
After Rain or Shine kept the scores close in the final frame at 75-74, Pogoy, with the help of a Poy Erram triple, regained momentum and stretched the gap for TNT to 86-76, putting pressure on their foes.
The Elasto Painters, however, did not crumble that easily after Andrei Caracut kickstarted a rally by drilling three of his four charities off a foul from Pogoy, putting the score at 93-87 in the final minute.
RoSโs Adrian Nocum and Jhonard Clarito then drained two quick shots in just five ticks to turn the match into a single-possession game, 95-91, with 16 seconds left.
But with Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao getting ejected due to technical fouls, TNT capitalized right away on a dazed opponent, as Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser put the cherry on top for his team with a huge slam to seal the victory for TNT.
Earlier in the match, a fiery tug-of-war unfolded as both teams traded basket after basket, ending the first quarter deadlocked at 23 and carrying the relentless pace into halftime at 41-all.
TNT was initially held to a 53-56 deficit against Rain or Shine in the third until they went on a 10-0 run, most of them on follow-ups, flipping the discrepancy to a 63-56 edge.
The Guiao-mentored squad had numerous occasions to cut the lead down when it came to the fourth, but the Chot Reyes-coached troupe proved that they were in a league of their own, as they locked in defensively in the clutch.
โI thought our defense held. We know Rain or Shine is the second-highest scoring team in the league. They are averaging 108 to 110 points a game. We want to keep them, if possible, below 90. We almost did that except we gave up a lot of fouls in the end,โ explained coach Reyes.
To help Pogoy, Poy Erram listed 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Calvin Oftana also tallied a double-double with 13 and 12 markers, respectively, with the two also grabbing 10 rebounds apiece.
On the other end, the Caracut-Nocum-Clarito trio combined for 43 points in the Elasto Paintersโ loss.
The Tropang 5G, who dismantled the Elasto Painters in the Governorโs Cup and Commissionerโs Cup semifinals, now look to take a 2-0 lead over Rain or Shine and get closer to the Grand Slam, as they will clash again on Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
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