The Terrafirma Dyip built a sizable lead, lost all of it, and then came back themselves to hack out a 111-106 overtime victory over the TNT Tropang 5G on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. With the win, Terrafirma improved its PBA Governors’ Cup record to 2-3, while the loss drops TNT to 1-2.
What Happened?
TNT and Terrafirma engaged in a tight first quarter, with the former spearheaded by RR Pogoy and sparked by Kim Aurin, and the latter led by Justin Strings and Juami Tiongson. At the end of one, the Tropa were up by a hair, 20-19. The Dyip asserted control with a 16-5 salvo to start the second, and it snowballed to a 31-15 period to give Terrafirma a 50-35 cushion going into halftime.
The Tropang 5G gained some ground after halftime, with Jordan Heading firing nine points in a 26-22 third quarter that pushed TNT a bit closer, 72-61, heading into the final frame. Heading continued his superb playmaking in the fourth as TNT completed their comeback at the very last second—a right-handed flip shot in the paint by Heading to tie the game at 94.
In OT, it looked like the Tropa were primed to notch their second win in the tournament after taking a 104-98 lead on a Pogoy three-point play. Terrafirma, though, had one last run in them as it uncorked a 12-2 run, all on triples, to take a 110-106 lead with 35 seconds left. Unlike in regulation, the Dyip sealed the deal this time.
Who Stood Out?
Justin Strings led the way, but Tiongson and Mav Ahanmisi made the big plays with the game on the line. Strings finished with a game-high 36 points on top of 12 rebounds and 6 assists as he played superbly throughout. Tiongson tallied 24 points off the bench, including back-to-back treys to jumpstart Terrafirma’s game-sealing 12-2 spurt in OT. Ahanmisi, meanwhile, had 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. He also hit the dagger three that gave the Dyip a 110-106 lead.
For TNT, Heading and Pogoy did all they could. Heading was particularly explosive in the second half and OT as he atoned for a scoreless first half by firing all of his 29 points. Pogoy, meanwhile, put up 23 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Kim Aurin also starred for TNT as he had arguably his best game for the team, finishing with 18 points off the bench.
3 Keys to the Game
- Three-point shooting. Not only did Terrafirma make more treys—12 as against TNT’s 8—but it also hit the triples that truly mattered. Those three-point makes were triples No. 9, 10, 11, and 12, which the Dyip hit in that final 12-2 burst in OT.
- Starter play. Still without Calvin Oftana and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, the TNT starting unit again struggled as they got outplayed by Terrafirma’s starters, who set the tone with a rousing first quarter. In all, the Dyip’s starting five outscored their Tropa counterparts, 73-53.
- Resilience. After blowing an 18-point lead and an 88-80 cushion with three minutes left, the Dyip could’ve just folded, especially after TNT took a 104-98 lead. But behind Tiongson, Terrafirma showed resilience and fought back, ultimately retaking the lead at 107-106 on a Joseph Eriobu trey—the third in that game-sealing four straight triples.
Next Up for the PBA
Sunday, July 26, 2026 | Smart Araneta Coliseum
San Miguel Beermen vs. NLEX Road Warriors (5:15 p.m.)
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel vs. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (7:30 p.m.)
