DONTE Greene did not come up with the smashing debut most expected, but TNT KaTropa still managed to eke out a 92-89 victory over Blackwater Friday in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Greene did score 22 points on top of 13 rebounds, but he went 9-of-28 from the field and committed four turnovers in his first game as the KaTropa's replacement import for Lou Amundson.
"I think Donte needs to give us more than what he gave us today," said TNT coach Nash Racela of the former Sacramento King. "Personally, I'm not satisfied with what he gave us today. Hopefully, after this game, makita niya kung ano talaga kailangan niyang gawin."
Good thing Roger Pogoy, Jayson Castro and Larry Fonacier were there to join hands in a swirling 9-2 windup that propelled TNT to its second straight win and a 2-1 slate overall.
Pogoy finished with a game-high 24 points with Castro adding 13 despite foul trouble that kept him on the bench for majority of the game. Ranidel de Ocampo contributed 10 points, helping make up for the absence of the injured Moala Tautuaa and Matt Ganuelas-Rosser.
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The loss was Blackwater's fourth in as many games and largely brought about when it went 0-of-4 from the field and committed two turnovers inside the last three minutes of the game.
Mac Belo could have helped as he showed up in uniform. But coach Leo Isaac opted to rest his do-it-all forward, who is nursing an injured knee.
Greg Smith had another monster game with 22 points and 31 rebounds, but he went 6-of-14 from the stripe with five of those missed charities coming in the fourth quarter.
Kyle Pascual and Ronjay Buenafe each wound up with 12 points and even Mark Cruz lent some help with seven points.
But the Elite's other new acquisition, KG Canaleta, only had six points on a rough 2-of-15 shooting for his ninth PBA team. He was also well-defended in his final three-point miss just before the final buzzer.
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Reil Cervantes, who took over Belo's starting forward position, could only chip in four points after making his first field goal but missing all his last eight.
Blackwater actually led by 12 points twice, but each time could not sustain its hold under constant pressure from TNT.
Greene did come alive in the opening minutes of the fourth period for seven of his points and aid the KaTropa in their surge from a 63-75 deficit, but Pogoy and Kelly Williams had the biggest hands in an 11-2 run that pegged the game's fourth deadlock at 83-all.
Cruz's charities and Smith's layup restored a four-point 87-83 lead for Blackwater, but that would prove to be its last stand as Castro sparked TNT's finishing kick with four straight points.
