TERRAFIRMA caught a big fish in Barangay Ginebra on Sunday night, 91-84, to cap back-to-back playdates of the PBA Philippine Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Juami Tiongson showed the way for the Dyip with 25 points, while Javi Gomez De Liano finished with a conference-high 22 points as the franchise won over the Kings for just the second time in 23 head-to-head meetings.
In an exciting curtain raiser, TNT dodged a bullet against Meralco, 92-90, to avoid suffering a third straight loss.
Calvin Oftana saved the day for the Tropang Giga with 26 points, including five of the Tropang Giga’s last six points to complete the comeback win.
Listed are some of the takeaways during Sunday night’s games at the NAS.
1) Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone obviously wasn’t happy with the way the Kings were playing against Terrafirma that he let deputy Richard Del Rosario call the shots for the team for almost the entire second half. The ploy didn’t work as the Dyip proved steady and composed in the endgame despite repeated charges by Ginebra to complete the upset. After the customary endgame handshake, Cone hurriedly left the court, packed his things and was gone a few minutes after. It was the second straight loss for the Kings for an even 3-3 record.
2) Veteran LA Tenorio had 11 points for Ginebra, marking the first time the 39-year-old guard finished in double figures this season. The last time Tenorio hit double figures in scoring came in Game 7 of the Commissioner’s Cup finals between the Kings and the Bay Area Dragons. The playmaker from Ateneo also hit 3-of-6 from three-point range, which is likewise the first time he had the same number of threes since Game 7 of the same title series with the Dragons.
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3) Terrafirma’s win over Ginebra was only the second time in their personal head-to-head match-up, the first one happened during the 2021 Philippine Cup bubble in Bacolor, Pampanga. The current 4-3 record of the Dyip has now equaled the number of wins the franchise had under coach Johnedel Cardel, which happened thrice in the past, the last of which came during the 2021 Philippine Cup.
4.Kelly Williams had a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds in TNT’s win over Meralco. At 42, he’s the oldest player to register a double-double since a 43-year-old Rafi Reavis tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds in the 2020 Philippine Cup bubble in Clark, Pampanga in a 91-84 loss to Phoenix.
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