Troy Rosario felt a sense of satisfaction for playing a major part in TNT KaTropa's vengeful win over Phoenix in Sunday's playoff for the No. 8 spot in the quarterfinals of the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Rosario scored all 18 points in the first half, hitting four triples in the process, as the KaTropa took charge for most of the game to claim the final quarters ticket while avenging their 74-72 loss to the Fuel Masters in their only elimination round meeting last Feb. 7 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
In that game, Rosario was rushed to the hospital when he landed face-first while trying to grab a rebound early in the fourth quarter. His absence left a big gap on TNT, which blew a 13-point lead that allowed Phoenix to escape via a Doug Kramer basket in the final seconds.
"Nawala ako nung fourth quarter nung game na yun, at saka importante talaga sa amin 'tong game na 'to, kasi once na matalo kami dito talagang out kami," said Rosario, who also grabbed four rebounds in 19 minutes.
His performance mirrored the previous Sunday's effort for Gilas Pilipinas when he came off the bench to score all 14 points in the first half of the 89-84 home triumph over Japan in the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
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This time, Rosario helped TNT forged a duel with top seed and defending champion San Miguel in their quarterfinal encounter set Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The KaTropa will once again fight for survival as they need to beat the Beermen twice to make the semifinals for the fifth straight conference.
"Mabigat talaga, kahit kailan naman San Miguel nandiyan e," he said. "Lagi kami nagtatapat pag sa quarters, minsan sa semis. Talagang pag gusto mong manalo, dadaan ka muna sa kanila." (JT)
