Mikey Williams dazzled anew after dropping 31 points in TNT's 114-86 rout of Terrafirma in the PBA Philippine Cup yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Tropang Giga used a strong third quarter surge behind the joint efforts of Williams, Roger Pogoy, JP Erram, and Jayson Castro to pull away for good and improve to a 6-2 win-loss record.
Williams, apart from the 31-point outing, added seven rebounds and five assists, Erram posted 18 points and nine rebounds, while Pogoy registered 15 points and three assists.
After a tightly contested first half, TNT showed its fiery form in the third period and unloaded a commanding 19-1 run capped by Erram’s layup, 76-58, with 3:20 remaining.
“We knew that this was a tough team. We had no pretensions, we had no illusions about this being an easy game so we knew that they were going to come back, it would be a difficult game,” said TNT head coach Chot Reyes. “So at half time we just talked about some adjustments we needed to make defensively.
“Because we gave up, I think 34 points in the second quarter. So when the third quarter ended and we were up again by 17, we just reminded the players, we just reminded everyone, that here we are again. This is exactly how we ended up in the first quarter, so let’s make sure that we play with a lot more defensive intensity starting the fourth quarter.”
After mounting a huge lead in the third period, the Tropang Giga continued to pile the cushion with Williams hitting back-to-back triples midway through the last quarter to put the fight beyond reach.
Jaydee Tungcab’s three-pointer in the ensuing play stretched TNT’s lead by as many as 32 points, 105-73.
Joshua Munzon paced the hapless Dyip, who remained winless in five games, with 25 points and six rebounds.
The Scores:
TNT 114 – M.Williams 31, Erram 18, Pogoy 15, Alejandro 11, Tungcab 10, Castro 8, Heruela 6, K.Williams 6, Marcelo 6, Cruz 3, Ganuelas-Rosser 0, Banal 0, Khobuntin 0
TERRAFIRMA 86 – Munzon 25, Gomez de Liano 12, Tiongson 9, Calvo 9, Gabayni 8, Ramos 6, Mina 6, Camson 6, Cahilig 5, Tumalip 0, Balagasay
QUARTERS: 31-14, 49-48, 84-67, 114-86