PASSI CITY - Marqus Blakely came through with a near triple-double performance in his debut in a TNT KaTropa jersey and drew tremendous help from Terrence Romeo and Troy Rosario as the Texters thwarted the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 110-104, in a PBA Governors Cup Petron Blaze road showdown at the City of Passi Arena here Saturday.
Blakely, a two-time champion import with Magnolia, proved he's still got much to give, producing 26 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, leading TNT to a triumphant first game under new head coach Bong Ravena and new coaching consultant Mark Dickel.
Rosario and Romeo complemented Blakely well, firing away 24 and 22 points, respectively, as they upstaged the ROS side out for a winning first PBA outing after its core players served duty to the national team in the recent Jakarta Asian Games.
The Elasto Painters dropped the game as they suddenly ran into a long scoreless spell in the second half.
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It was a toe-to-toe battle until the Texters cashed in on the Texters' sudden collapse.
The two teams were engaged in a nip-and-tuck battle before Blakely, Romeo, Rosario and RR Garcia fueled a decisive 18-to-nothing run to seize control and hold on to notch a third win in seven games.
The Texters marked their win with a superb show of firepower from the long court, with Rosario, Romeo, Garcia, RR Pogoy and Don Trollano combining for 16 three-pointers as against the E-Painters' 11.
Rosario was 6-of-16 from beyond the arc, Romeo was 5-of- 11 while Pogoy was 3-of-7.
The two teams figured in a fierce exchange of treys early in the third period before the E-Painters suddenly hit into the wall, going without a basket in a stretch of nearly five minutes bridging the third and fourth quarters. (SB)
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The scores:
TNT 110 - Blakely 26, Rosario 24, Romeo 22, Pogoy 14, Garcia 6, Williams 6, Cruz 5, Carey 4, Trollano 3, Reyes 0, Semerad 0.
Rain or Shine 104 - Bullock 23, Yap 21, Norwood 12, Torres 9, Almazan 8, Belga 6, Ponferada 6, Onwubere 4, Tiu 4, Nambatac 3, Daquioag 3, Maiquez 2, Borboran 2, Casi?o 0.
