AN apparent hamstring injury kept Roger Pogoy out for most of Game 2 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals between TNT and Rain or Shine Friday night.
Pogoy had another strong start for the Tropang 5G, scoring 11 points in the first quarter to carry the fight for the team along with Calvin Oftana.
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But he was quickly taken out by coach Chot Reyes at the 11:06 mark of the second period after missing a jumper in TNT’s previous play.
He was going 5-of-7 from the field on 1-of-2 shooting from three-point range for 11 points when he was taken out.
Despite Pogoy sitting on the bench, TNT managed to fight back from an 18-point deficit to trail by only 52-50 at the break.
The 33-year-old TNT guard scored 28 points in the team’s 98-91 win in the opener of the best-of-seven series.
During the quarterfinals, Pogoy averaged 24 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists as TNT overcame a twice-to-beat disadvantage against third seed Magnolia to advance in the semis.
But despite missing the rest of the game at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, the Tropang 5G managed to pull off a 113-105 victory in overtime to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Coach Chot Reyes later said he doubts if Pogoy would be ready to play for Game 3 which is set 48 hours from now at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
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