TNT trounces Meralco to take 1-0 semis lead
Published Mar 24, 2023 12:46 pm
TNT showed little mercy to sister team Meralco with a 110-80 rout Friday night, March 24, in Game 1 of their best-of-five semifinal series in the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Despite coming off the quarterfinals against the Magnolia Hotshots two days ago, the Tropang Giga still showed intensity by dictating the pace throughout to cruise to an early 1-0 lead in their best-of-five tussle. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson erupted with a triple-double effort of 22 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists to spearhead TNT’s domination, where they led by as many as 33 points,110-107, in the last 2:40 of the game. Equally unstoppable for the Tropang Giga was RR Pogoy, who torched the rainbow country with five triples to finish with 21 points along with two boards and two assists. TNT coach Jojo Lastimosa admitted they were prepared for Meralco’s penetrating offense, but was surprised they were able to close out the game in a blowout fashion. “I talked about our defense in this semifinals and I know this is gonna get tougher for us, I was just surprised that Meralco looks like they are lacking a bit on energy… but I know they’re gonna come back with a great plan,” Lastimosa said. The closest Meralco came to TNT was early in the second period, where the Bolts trailed 35-30 following a Chris Newsome triple. But Meralco lost its steam as TNT launched its ruthless assault, slowly padding the lead back to double figures at the half, 57-45, before completely outclassing the Bolts in the last two quarters. Calvin Oftana also contributed significant numbers for the Tropang Giga with 15 points and nine boards, while Michael Williams and Jayson Castro chipped in 14 and 12 points, respectively. KJ McDaniels finished with a double-double effort for Meralco, but were limited to only 12 points in 32 minutes of action. The burly center, however, collared 14 boards.
*Rondae Hollis-Jefferson leads TNT with a triple-double effort against Meralco. (PBA Images)
*Despite coming off the quarterfinals against the Magnolia Hotshots two days ago, the Tropang Giga still showed intensity by dictating the pace throughout to cruise to an early 1-0 lead in their best-of-five tussle. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson erupted with a triple-double effort of 22 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists to spearhead TNT’s domination, where they led by as many as 33 points,110-107, in the last 2:40 of the game. Equally unstoppable for the Tropang Giga was RR Pogoy, who torched the rainbow country with five triples to finish with 21 points along with two boards and two assists. TNT coach Jojo Lastimosa admitted they were prepared for Meralco’s penetrating offense, but was surprised they were able to close out the game in a blowout fashion. “I talked about our defense in this semifinals and I know this is gonna get tougher for us, I was just surprised that Meralco looks like they are lacking a bit on energy… but I know they’re gonna come back with a great plan,” Lastimosa said. The closest Meralco came to TNT was early in the second period, where the Bolts trailed 35-30 following a Chris Newsome triple. But Meralco lost its steam as TNT launched its ruthless assault, slowly padding the lead back to double figures at the half, 57-45, before completely outclassing the Bolts in the last two quarters. Calvin Oftana also contributed significant numbers for the Tropang Giga with 15 points and nine boards, while Michael Williams and Jayson Castro chipped in 14 and 12 points, respectively. KJ McDaniels finished with a double-double effort for Meralco, but were limited to only 12 points in 32 minutes of action. The burly center, however, collared 14 boards.