At A Glance
- TNT fended off repeated rallies to send Magnolia packing with a 118-109 victory in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup quarterfinals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, Dec. 27.
TNT fended off repeated rallies to send Magnolia packing with a 118-109 victory in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup quarterfinals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, Dec. 27.
Calvin Oftana and Jordan Heading formed a deadly one-two punch as the Tropang 5G rode on a hot start and kept their feet on the gas pedal to dispatch the hard-fighting Hotshots.
Oftana fired 25 points built on five triples while Heading amply supported him with 21 points. Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser chipped in 15 points and nine rebounds just as RR Pogoy finished with 14 points in just 20 minutes of play.
TNT came out firing in the opening frame, exploding for 32 points and overwhelming the defense-minded Magnolia. The Tropang 5G led by as many as 16 points in the first quarter and stretched the gap to as much as 27.
The Hotshots kept fighting, trimming the lead to nine points, 81-90, early in the final frame. However, that was as close as they would get, as the Tropang 5G remained too composed to be shaken by the repeated rallies.
Zav Lucero paced Magnolia with 20 points and 13 rebounds while Mark Barroca also had a double-double of 14 points and 13 assists in a losing effort.
Rome Dela Rosa tried to carry the scoring cudgels in the absence of Paul Lee by scoring 19 points, it wasn't enough to match the offensive juggernaut that was TNT.