AFTER a close series opener, TNT Tropang 5G pulled off a statement win against Meralco, routing the Bolts, in a dominant 109-92 win to build a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinal series, Wednesday, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
TNT rode on their hot shooting from beyond the arc, as the Chot Reyes-led team connected 12 triples on 28 attempts in Game 2, while, on the opposite side of the court, Meralco only landed one the entire match with 14 shot attempts.
Continuing his phenomenal showing in the All-Filipino Conference playoffs, Calvin Oftana once again spearheaded TNT’s offense after scoring 26 points on 10-of-15 efficiency, to go along with seven rebounds.
Determined to dictate the pace early, Tropang 5G came out of the gates with a different kind of grit that resulted in an early 18-8 breakaway en route to a 29-19 opening frame.
The last season’s runner-up followed their strong showing in the first quarter with an even more splendid performance in the second, with veteran center Kelly Williams knocking down four three-point shots for a 57-46 halftime lead.
The Oftana and Jordan Heading tandem then continued to bombard the Bolts with a spree of baskets in the second half, keeping Meralco at a distance. The flawless outing for TNT was capped off by an 8-0 run in the penultimate period.
The Tropang 5G held a 74-61 advantage over Meralco in the 4:31 mark of the third before going on a period-ending 8-5 spurt capped off by Oftana’s fastbreak layup to end the quarter at 82-66.
Heading ended the game with 24 huge points, built on two triples and one four-point shot for Tropang 5G.
“I thought Meralco did a very good job of limiting my touches in Game 1. They did it again tonight, but I’m glad we found a way to win,” Heading said.
“It’s all about taking every game one step at a time, one quarter at a time. We’re not getting ahead of ourselves. This team won a championship not too long ago, so this series is nowhere near done. We won’t take a step back,” he added.
Williams and RR Pogoy also contributed 12 points each, while Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser had 11 markers and six boards for TNT, which won their sixth game in a row since the eliminations.