MANILA – TNT Tropang 5G survived with a controversial 99-96 victory over San Miguel Beermen in Game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
After being down by as many as 24 points early in the third quarter, the Beermen successfully made their run and even took a 98-97 lead courtesy of an inside hit by Moala Tautuaa with 56 seconds left.
After a few possessions, referees decided to nullify the basket of Tautuaa, claiming that he committed a basketball interference when he pulled down the basket following his attempt.
With the Tropang 5G regaining a 97-96 lead with six seconds left, Calvin Oftana stretched their advantage to 99-96 with two free throws before Beermen’s Jaymar Perez missed on a three-point heave at the buzzer.
Roger Pogoy, who missed their semifinals series against Rain or Shine Elasto Painters due to a hamstring injury, top-scored for the Tropang 5G with 23 points, including three triples and two four-point shots.
Jordan Heading added 19 markers, with 17 coming in the fourth quarter, while Oftana and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser contributed 13 points apiece as the Grand Slam-seeking TNT took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven title series.
Tropang 5G head coach Vincent “Chot” Reyes stressed after the game that they were not surprised when the Beermen mounted a huge run in the second half and nearly stole the win away from them.
“We expected it. We have no illusions that San Miguel Beer will just roll out and lay down. We knew they would mount a fightback and we keep talking to our players about it,” Reyes said.
“When they were making the run, we keep telling the players to just relax, stay calm, and we really had some good looks in that stretch. That’s what you will get when you play a team like San Miguel, if you give them opportunity, they will pounce on it,” he added.
June Mar Fajardo finished with a double-double of 26 points and 15 rebounds, Perez added 19 markers and 11 boards, while Celedonio Trollano and Tautuaa had 13 and 10, respectively, for the Beermen./PN
BOX SCORE:
TNT 99 – Pogoy 23, Heading 19, Oftana 13, Ganuelas-Rosser 13, Williams 9, Erram 9, Enciso 6, Khobuntin 5, Heruela 2, Aurin 0.
SAN MIGUEL 96 – Fajardo 26, Perez 19, Trollano 13, Tautuaa 10, Cruc 8, Ross 7, Lassiter 7, Tiongson 4, Brondial 2, Teng 0, Rosales 0.
Quarterscores: 28-22, 61-41, 85-66, 99-96.
