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By ADRIAN STEWART CO
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Wednesday, December 28, 2016
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MANILA – TNT Katropa leaned on the hot shooting of Jeth Troy Rosario as it waylaid the Alaska Aces, 109-100, in the 2016-2017 Oppo PBA Philippine Cup at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Rosario, a runner-up for the recent Rookie of the Year race, led the way with 26 points, on 6-of-9 shooting from the three-point line, for the Katropa, which tied the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at second place with a 4-2 win-loss slate.
Jayson Castro and Larry Fonacier chipped in 16 markers apiece, while Ranidel de Ocampo contributed 10 points for the Katropa, which notched its second straight win.
From a slim lead at the end of the opening frame, the Katropa went on a huge surge in the second quarter on four triples by Rosario to build a 54-38 lead at halftime on seven straight points by Castro.
The Aces, behind Calvin Abueva and Kevin Racal, responded with its own rally in the third canto to keep the game close at 77-70 but the Katropa pulled away anew on a 16-7 run behind Rosario and Fonacier.
The Katropa mounted its largest lead of the match at 93-77 following another trifecta by Rosario and an inside hit by Moala Tautuaa before the Aces scored consecutive points to reduce the final score deficit.
“The goal today was to play consistent basketball for 48 minutes,” said Katropa head coach Nash Racela. “Obviously we were struggling to do that yet but the 40 minutes that we did is a good sign. The important thing is to trust the process.”
Abueva led the way with double-double 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Vic Manuel and Racal contributed 16 and 14 points, respectively, for the Aces, which slid down to a 3-3 record./PN
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