In PBA Season 49, the Converge FiberXers and TNT Tropang 5G figured in three thrilling contests. On Saturday, in the league’s first out-of-town sortie, the two teams again went at it, with the Tropa pulling out a 110-103 triumph at Chavit Coliseum in Ilocos Sur. It was a battle of two championship contenders, and both teams showed why.
What Happened?
TNT and Converge went at it pretty much from the get-go, like two heavyweights going after each other’s head. The Tropa struck with the first big blow—a 31-24 second quarter to take a 53-42 lead into intermission. Converge fought back in the third, getting to within 73-69, only for TNT to push the lead back to 82-72. The FiberXers finally caught up with TNT, 90-90, at the 5:46 mark of the fourth but got left behind again with a 14-4 run anchored on two Rey Nambatac four-pointers and a trey each from RR Pogoy and Kelly Williams.
Who Stood Out?
RR Pogoy was spectacular for TNT, especially in the second half, where he fired 23 of his 27 points on six triples. Pogoy, in fact, scored most of his points when Converge was making a run—including the Tropa’s last nine in the third when the FiberXers cut the lead to 73-69. Rey Nambatac also came up clutch with his two four-pointers, while Calvin Oftana carried the fight for TNT in the first half and finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Converge, meanwhile, got great games from their Big Five, with Justin Arana and Justine Baltazar, in particular, showing out. Arana finished with 19 points and 5 rebounds, while Baltazar put up 17 markers, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.
3 Keys to the Game
- Three-point shooting. TNT went en fuego from downtown, hitting 20 of their 43 attempts from beyond the arc as opposed to Converge’s 9 out of 22. What’s more, the Tropa hit their treys at the right times, like the two Pogoy hit to end the third quarter and the treys he and Williams fired in TNT’s last big run down the stretch.
- Stingy defense. While the Tropa surrendered 103 points, they did play stifling defense for stretches and forced 19 Converge turnovers. TNT converted those extra possessions into 29 points compared to just 18 from the FiberXers.
- Nambatac’s timely hits. Nambatac had an otherwise quiet night and was, in fact, 0-for-4 going into the last six minutes of the game. But his two four-pointers helped fuel TNT’s 14-4 run down the stretch to finally put away Converge.
Next Up for the PBA
The PBA will be back at the Ynares Center in Montalban on Sunday with an explosive double-header featuring four possible title contenders. In the first game, the San Miguel Beermen will take on the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, while the Meralco Bolts will face off with the Magnolia Hotshots in the second game.
San Miguel vs. Rain or Shine | Meralco vs. Magnolia
