Gilas stars power TNT to victory
Games Today (Mall of Asia Arena) 4:30 p.m. – Mahindra vs Phoenix 6:45 p.m. – San Miguel vs Ginebra
TNT KaTropa rallied from a 15-point third quarter deficit behind two of its Gilas Pilipinas standouts to turn back the Alaska Aces, 119-110, last night in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Ibalong Centrum for Recreation in Legazpi City, Albay.
Jayson Castro and RR Pogoy, who two days ago helped Gilas capture the SEABA Championship title, joined forces with former national team star Ranidel de Ocampo and debuting import Joshua Smith to erase Alaska’s 90-75 lead with under four minutes left in the third to fashion out a hard-fought win.
Castro finished with 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds in 28 minutes while Pogoy contributed 12 points, six rebounds and two steals as TNT improved to 7-3 while boosting its slim hopes of securing a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
De Ocampo added 15 points while Smith registered a team-high 23 points with 10 rebounds in his debut which came in the Petron Saturday Special.
Rosario, the third TNT player who participated for Gilas in the SEABA, played just 16 minutes and put up seven points and five rebounds.
Cory Jefferson fired a game-high 29 points but Alaska dropped to seventh place with an even 4-4 record, half-game behind Phoenix (4-5) and 1 1/2 off Globalport (3-6).
Meanwhile, the San Miguel Beermen enter the difficult phase of their bid for a second straight title beginning with a familiar foe in Barangay Ginebra San Miguel today at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Two days removed from encountering little trouble against the NLEX Road Warriors, the Beermen hope to continue their mastery against the crowd-favorite Ginebra squad in the second game set at 6:45 p.m.
Coach Leo Austria is bracing a tough schedule against Ginebra and later against Alaska, pointing out his team’s defensive effort against NLEX.
Phoenix welcomes back Matthew Wright for the 4:15 p.m. opener against Mahindra, a game that Fuel Masters need to gain ground in the race for playoff spots.
Wright had an impressive Gilas debut in the SEABA Championship, emerging as one of the best players of the tournament. Phoenix, with a 4-5 record, would like to benefit from Wright’s personal gains.
Mahindra is in desperate mode, needing to beat Phoenix to stay in the playoff hunt. The Floodbuster are at 2-7.
Smith 23, Castro 20, De Ocampo 15, Garcia 13, Pogoy 12, Tautuaa 8, Rosario 7, Williams 6, Semerad 5, Reyes 5, Rosales 5, Carey 0.
Jefferson 29, Manuel 17, Casio 16, Abueva 11, Enciso 9, Pascual 8, Thoss 6, Exciminiano 4, Mendoza 4, Banchero 4, Hontiveros 2, Dela Cruz 0, Racal 0, Cruz 0, Galliguez 0, Andrada 0.
Quarters: 23-36; 56-57; 88-95; 119-110.