The Dyip just crashed into a brick wall built by the Tropang Giga.
TNT proved to be a tough nut to crack for Terrafirma as Jalen Hudson and the Tropang Giga asserted their mastery over the Dyip with a 131-109 drubbing in the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday, Feb. 11.
A blistering 17-0 run bridging the first and second quarter set the tone for TNT’s rout, turning a 27-20 deficit into a 37-27 lead which even ballooned to as many as 30 points midway through the final frame to pick its fifth win in six games.
The victory, which put TNT at third in the standings, also extended its dominance over the Terrafirma franchise to 15 straight wins spanning the last six seasons – the last two with a winning margin of 29.5 points.
Hudson showed the way for TNT with 36 points on an efficient 12-of-15 clip from the field on top of his six rebounds, three steals and three blocks, while Mikey Williams got on a good offensive rhythm to finish with 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
RR Pogoy and Calvin Oftana also added 16 and 15 points, respectively.
TNT head coach Jojo Lastimosa lauded his charges for responding to his challenge of putting up a strong start and not giving Terrafirma the confidence to get going.
“We wanted to have a good start today and we talked about not giving them a chance at the beginning, talked about them playing on back-to-back games so we should have the better energy and I think we accomplished that,” said Lastimosa.
Still, TNT had to weather the initial storm put up by Terrafirma when it raced to a 27-20 lead midway through the opening frame. That, however, was the last time the Dyip tasted the lead as Hudson, Williams, Pogoy and Oftana joined hands in the telling run that allowed them to establish a 63-58 lead at the half.
Despite some signs of life behind Jordan Williams who exploded for 38 points, Terrafirma never really got the chance to inch close enough to threaten the Tropang Giga in the second half.
Juami Tiongson continued to become Dyip's best local scorer with 18 points, although it was not enough to prevent his team from sliding into the 2-3 record in the standings.