Jun 07, 2023

Dyip cruise past Tropang Giga

TERRAFIRMA would not let another misfortune keep it down.

The Dyip bucked the loss of another key player by putting on a dazzling second half show that led to a cruising 104-90 victory over TNT Wednesday in the PBA On Tour at the Ynares Arena in Pasig City.

Juami Tiongson scored a team-high 21 points while sparking the decisive surge that saw Terrafirma outscore TNT, 42-25, in the third period before opening the fourth quarter with a huge 15-0 run for a 95-67 spread.

The likes of Allen Mina, Isaac Go, Andreas Cahilig and JP Calvo also gave significant contributions that ultimately led to the Dyip realizing their first win after three tries in the pre-season tournament presented by Arena Plus and sponsored by Bingo Plus.

"We really moved the ball, we played as a team, everyone was touching the ball, everyone had rhythm," was how Tiongson explained the big turnaround from their first half performance that saw them trail by as much as 19-32.

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Perfect example of Terrafirma's second-half game was Mina, who scored all 10 of his points and his three assists in the third period that enabled the Dyip to take an 80-67 lead into the final 12 minutes of play.

"You can see Mina getting his rhythm. He was going with the flow in our offense," said Tiongson, who scored seven of his points in the first 3:21 of the third period to tie the game up at 50-all.

The victory came with a cost, though, as Kevin Ferrer, who sat out a 94-100 loss to Blackwater due to a sore hand, suffered what appeared to be a pulled left hamstring with just 14 seconds to go in the second quarter. The veteran forward had to be stretchered out of the court and straight to a nearby hospital.

Ably stepping up to pick up the slack were Ed Daquioag's 16 points, Go's 15 points and eight boards and Cahilig's 10 and nine.

Glenn Khobuntin's game-high 25 points and Frederick Tungcab's 14 points led TNT which absorbed its second loss in as many games.

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The KaTropa actually toted a 58-53 lead following Khobuntin's triple off a Paul Varilla steal, but JP Calvo's charities and Go's back-to-back treys started a massive 27-9 exchange that gave Terrafirma momentum going to the fourth period. (NC)