RONDAE Hollis-Jefferson buried two free throws with 10 seconds left as TNT survived a fiery Meralco comeback, 101-99, on Tuesday night in the PBA 49th Season Commissioner's Cup at the Philsports Arena.
Hollis-Jefferson's timely heroics enabled TNT to preserve its third straight win, overcoming a late rally by Meralco from the depths of a 23-point deficit.
Hollis-Jefferson scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, staying on the floor while playing with five fouls long enough to make the game-winning free throws.
Calvin Oftana fired three treys to end up with 24 points on an efficient 9-for-15 shooting from the field as TNT continued its asent after starting the conference with an 0-2 mark.
“In the end, the players made big plays. I guess that’s the story of the game,” said TNT coach Chot Reyes.
Meralco, which fell to 4-3 after losing for the second time in its last three games, even took the lead, 97-94, after trailing, 44-21, at one point in the match.
Roger Pogoy tied the match with a three, which was followed by a Hollis-Jefferson short stab with 1:09 left to make it a 99-97 lead for TNT.
Chris Banchero equalized with a running shot with 59.6 seconds left. After an exchange of misses, Akil Mitchell reached in and fouled Hollis-Jefferson with the Bolts in penalty, allowing the TNT import to drain the marginal free throws.
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Reyes said their errors and foul trouble enabled Meralco to mount a comeback. Poy Erram also had five fouls that kept him out in some parts of the match-up.
“We expected it,” said Reyes, referring to Meralco’s comeback. “We had no illusions that it was going to be an easy game. Even when we were up by 20, we knew that Meralco had the capability to come back.”
“We were besieged by our foul trouble. That’s why when they made that run, Rondae and Poy Erram were on the bench. But the key to their run was our turnovers. In the third quarter, we committed like five or six turnovers that allowed them to get their offense on track. That was the problem.
"In the end, we were able to settle down and not panic even when they grabbed the lead. We stayed within ourselves,” said Reyes.
Rey Nambatac had 15 points, while Pogoy added 12 points for the Tropang Giga, who face Converge on Saturday
Mitchell had 24 points, 18 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals, while Newsome had 19 points and eight assists for the Bolts, who will battle NLEX on Friday.
The scores:
TNT 101 – Hollis-Jefferson 24, Oftana 24, Nambatac 15, Pogoy 12, Castro 7, Erram 6, Aurin 5, Galinato 5, Khobuntin 3, Varilla 0, Razon 0.
Meralco 99 – Mitchell 24, Newsome 19, Banchero 14, Quinto 12, Black 8, Hodge 6, Rios 5, Almazan 4, Bates 4, Cansino 3, Caram 0.
Quarters: 27-17; 52-35; 79-68; 101-99.
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