TNT barges into semifinals
Defending champion TNT Tropang Giga claimed the first semifinal spot after crushing Converge, 116-95, in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday.
An inspired Mikey Williams powered the Tropang Giga to a strong first quarter storm, hitting 24 of his 26 points in the first half, to go with four assists and one rebound.
I told the players that we should take advantage of any opportunity and not take anything for granted.
Troy Rosario, fully recovered from his recent knee injury, added 18 markers and seven rebounds while Roger Pogoy had 16 points and three boards.
Veterans Jayson Castro and Kelly Williams also made their presence felt as they combined for 25 points.
The Tropang Giga will be facing the winner of the other quarterfinal pairing between Magnolia and NLEX.
“I told the players that we should take advantage of any opportunity and not take anything for granted,” said TNT tactician Chot Reyes.
“This advantage that we had coming in, it can be gone very very easily. I think that accounted for the margin that we had and maintained throughout the game.”
A day after signing a fresh contract with the Tropang Giga, Williams poured 20 points in their 40-point second quarter explosion en route to a 70-42 halftime lead.
The Tropang Giga kept it a one-sided affair for the remainder of the match while enjoying an impressive 52.6 percent shooting from the field.
A steal from Dave Marcelo and a layup by Jaydee Tungcab gave TNT its biggest lead at 33, 116-83, making the FiberXers hopeless for a comeback with 4:08 left in the game.
Rookie Tyrus Hill led Converge with 14 points, while veteran Mike Digregorio added 14 markers on a losing effort.