TNT’s Strategy Against Rain or Shine
It was not a coincidence that Rain or Shine suffered its most lopsided loss of the PBA Philippine Cup when Beau Belga got held to his lowest scoring output of the conference. As it turned out, it was the grand plan of TNT all along. The Tropang Giga put the clamps on Belga as they dealt the Elasto Painters a 116-99 beating to draw first blood in their best-of-three quarterfinals.
Key Player Performance
Enjoying the best scoring conference of his career, Belga – who averaged 17.6 points prior to Game 1 – tallied just 5 points on a 2-of-10 clip as Rain or Shine got limited to under 100 points for only the second time this tournament.
TNT’s Offensive Dominance
TNT also thrived on offense as it posted its highest scoring output of the conference, with Calvin Oftana showing the way with a game-high 32 points on top of 9 rebounds and 2 steals. Oftana caught fire with 18 points in the third quarter, allowing the Tropang Giga to seize an 85-79 lead before they pulled away for good in the final salvo.
Player Contributions
- Roger Pogoy: 26 points
- Kelly Williams: 19 points, 10 rebounds
- Jayson Castro: 11 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds
Scoring Summary
The Scores:
TNT 116 – Oftana 32, Pogoy 26, K.Williams 19, Castro 11, Khobuntin 8, B.Ganuelas-Rosser 8, Aurin 4, Montalbo 3, Ponferrada 3, Heruela 2, Varilla 0, Galinato 0.
Rain or Shine 99 – Santillan 23, Borboran 13, Datu 11, Caracut 11, Clarito 10, Ildefonso 8, Nocum 7, Demusis 6, Belga 5, Mamuyac 4, Asistio 1, Norwood 0.
Quarters: 26-24, 53-52, 85-79, 116-99.