TNT rode on the hot hands of RR Pogoy, who dished out a 32-point scorcher spiked by an eye-popping 8-of-9 shooting from deep, in scoring a 117-93 bounce back win over NorthPort in the PBA Commissioners' Cup Saturday at the PhilSports Arena.
Pogoy rifled in 21 in the second quarter alone to light the fire for the shorthanded Tropang Giga, who were eager to gain traction after dropping a 92-94 heartbreaker to Magnolia in their conference debut.
With Pogoy shooting the lights out, TNT pulled away from a close 41-39 contest and seized a 58-44 margin going to the halftime break.
Mikey Williams, back in action after sitting out TNT's opener due to injury, and import Cameron Oliver joined the fray after restart as the Tropang Giga widened the gap to 87-62.
Oliver shot 20 to go with 10 rebounds and five assists while Williams accounted for 19-7-6 to backstop the sizzling Pogoy.
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"Aggressive lang talaga ako sa game kasi ang sakit ng pagkatalo namin last game," said Pogoy, referring to the encounter with the Hotshots where they squandered a 13-point spread.
On their way to victory, the defensive-savvy Tropang Giga stifled NorthPort star Robert Bolick, who scored only 14 on a 5-of-12 shooting after exploding with 44 in their 101-95 upset of Meralco last Sept. 30.
"We really game-planned for Robert because he's really the heart and soul of their team. Even if the other guys scored, we're willing to swallow it to make sure we won't allow Robert to get going. That's a big part of the reason we won," said Reyes.
Arvin Tolentino, with 19, and Prince Ibeh, with 18 and 12, took the cudgels for the Batang Pier, who slipped to 2-2.
TNT got the job done despite missing veterans Jayson Castro and Ryan Reyes, wingman Glen Khobuntin, guard Brian Heruela and recent trade acquisition Raul Soyud due to injuries. (OL)
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The Scores:
TNT 117 - Pogoy 32, Oliver 20, M. Williams 19, Tungcab 9, Erram 8, Montalbo 8, Cruz 7, K. Williams 6, Oftana 4, Rosser 4, Alejandro 0, Marcelo 0.
NorthPort 93 - Tolentino 19, Ibeh 18, Bolick 14, Chan 9, Ferrer 8, Santos 7, Sumang 4, Balanza 4, Salado 4, Taha 2, Calma 2, Caperal 2, Ayaay 0.
Quarters: 25-24, 58-44, 87-62, 117-93
