SOME young blood may be stoking TNT's drive but trust a couple of tested veterans to rise to the occasion when needed most.
Calvin Oftana scored a team-high 25 points and hooked up with Kelly Williams and Jayson Castro for a telling surge that lifted the Tropang Giga to a 108-99 repeat win over Meralco Thursday in the PBA Governors' Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Williams, Castro and Oftana each shredded the Bolts' defense for crucial drives that powered the Tropa from a mere 100-97 lead and into a 106-97 separation that proved to be safe enough of a cushion in the last 50 seconds of play.
After notching a fourth straight win that jacked its record to a Group A-leading 6-1, TNT is now assured of advancing into the quarterfinals following the 10-game intragroup eliminations.
Winning coach Chot Reyes is simply glad his team was able to withstand Meralco's much tougher stand than in their 93-73 conquest the first time they met.
Sponsored content: "We knew that they were going to come back, we had no illusions that it was gonna be easy by any means," related Reyes. "So we just reminded everyone in the timeout, we said that 'Okay, they're making their run. Now let's focus and just do what we need to get done.' In the end, the players took it upon themselves to make the necessary stops."
Rondae Hollis Jefferson finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and nine assists and Kim Aurin 16 markers.
Still, the contributions of Castro (12, 4, 4) and Williams (nine points in 15:45 of action) were big factors in the win, particularly the latter who was making his first appearance for the young season.
"I thought we got great contributions defensively from Kelly Williams off the bench, I thought he was big," said Reyes. "We knew Allen Durham was going to go out and attack us after his so-so performance in our first game against them. So it was important we had Kelly as secondary defender tonight."
Durham, who scored only eight points in their first meeting, still wound up with gamehighs of 26 points and 11 rebounds, but was made to scrape for those.
Sponsored content: Chris Newsome added 23, but with Cliff Hodge joining other injured key players on the sidelines, the Bolts' bid to avoid falling to a 5-2 slate failed.
Bong Quinto and rookie CJ Cansino each chipped in 12 points but Chris Banchero counld only muster 10 markers, which was seven below his average.
Still, Meralco plodded on with Quinto booming in a four-pointer and Newsome a corner 3 to highlight a 16-8 exchange that brought them within 97-100, before Williams turned a Castro steal into a layup that sparked TNT's decisive surge. (NC)
The Scores :
TNT 108 - Oftana 25, Hollis-Jefferson 22, Aurin 16, Castro 12, Erram 11, Pogoy 9. Williams 9, Nambatac 4, Heruela 0, Khobuntin 0.
MERALCO 99 - Durham 26, Newsome 23, Quinto 12, Cansino 12, Bancheor 10, Caram 8, Pasoal 4, Rios 4, Bates 0, Pascual 0, Mendoza 0, Jose 0.
QUARTERS: 32-20, 49-44, 78-67, 108-9
