The TNT Tropang Giga is on the cusp of repeating as PBA Governors’ Cup championship. And the defending champions did it by outclassing Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in every way imaginable.
TNT rode high on a hot start and never looked back in Game 5, demolishing Ginebra 99-72 on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Surprise starter Kelly Williams typified TNT’s strong start, scoring the Tropa’s first basket of the game and their first seven points to race out to an early 9-2 lead. TNT extended the lead to nine, 24-15 before Ginebra closed the gap to end the first, 26-20, behind 13 early points from Scottie Thompson.
TNT Breaks the Game Open in the Second Canto
That was the closest Ginebra would get, as the Tropa uncorked a 10-0 run to extend the lead to 36-20. The proverbial floodgates would soon open, as TNT’s unforgiving defense held the Barangay to 13 second-quarter points while scoring 30 on their own.
Back-to-back triples from Stephen Holt cut TNT’s 56-33 halftime lead to 59-41 as Ginebra looked on the verge of making a move. The Tropa, though, would have none of it, clamping down on the crowd darlings again and shifting their offense to a higher gear. A 10-2 run right after helped TNT establish its then-biggest lead, 69-43, and it just kept adding and adding and adding to it.
After three, what was supposed to be a close dogfight had turned into a laugher, so much so that Tim Cone pulled import Justin Brownlee at the end of the third.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson again led the way for TNT, finishing with a relatively quiet 16 points on top of 10 rebounds and 3 assists. It did not matter as RR Pogoy and Calvin Oftana chipped in 16 and 15, respectively. Williams added 11, while Jayson Castro produced a sublime 10-point, 7-rebound, 7-assist night.
Brownlee, on the other hand, typified Ginebra’s all-game struggle as he scored just 8 points on 3-for-13 shooting. It was the first time in Kabayan’s PBA career that he had failed to score in double-digits. Game 4 hero Maverick Ahanmisi, meanwhile, was held to a solitary point.
TNT will shoot for the crown in Game 6 on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
- TNT 99 – Hollis-Jefferson 16, Pogoy 16, Oftana 15, Williams 11, Castro 10, Nambatac 7, Erram 7, Exciminiano 6, Khobuntin 4, Heruela 3, Aurin 2, Galinato 2, Payawal 0, Ebona 0, Varilla 0
- GINEBRA 72 – Thompson 13, Tenorio 13, Holt 10, Brownlee 8, Abarrientos 7, J.Aguilar 6, Cu 5, R. Aguilar 5, Pessumal 4, Ahanmisi 1
