MANILA – TNT Tropang 5G leaned on a fiery start to score an 118-109 victory over the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots and reach the semifinals of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup on Saturday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Calvin Oftana spearheaded the offense with 25 points, including five three-point conversions, while Jordan Heading chipped in 21 markers to banner the Tropang 5G offense.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser had a near double-double of 15 points and nine rebounds, while Roger Pogoy came off the bench to deliver 14 markers for TNT, which will face either Meralco Bolts or Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the semis.
The Tropang 5G set the tone early with a 32-16 start before widening it to its largest at 27 points in the second quarter. The Hotshots countered with a run to cut it to 41-52 at the half.
The Hotshots pulled even closer in the third period as they trimmed the deficit to 73-79, but a counter attack by the Tropang 5G increased the lead back to double digits the rest of the way.
Zavier Lucero paced the Hotshots with 22 points, Rome dela Rosa, Jerom Lastimosa, and Andy Mark Barroca added 19, 18, and 14, respectively, while Ian Sangalang and Yukien Andrada tallied 13 each.
Meanwhile, the Bolts kept their campaign alive after pulling away for a 96-79 victory over the Painters in the other quarterfinals series.
Jansen Rios delivered on both ends of the floor in the fourth quarter, shutting down Rain or Shine’s comeback attempt and helping Meralco force a winner-take-all quarterfinal showdown set for Monday.
Rios finished with 12 points, including three three-pointers, along with five rebounds and four steals to earn Player of the Game honors for the Bolts.
Clifford Hodge, Crispin John Cansino, and Chris Newsome each scored 14 points for the seventh-seeded Bolts, while Aaron Black added 12./PN
