TNT and Limitless App emerged unbeaten at the end of an unpredictable leg 2 pool play of the PBA 3x3 Lakas Ng Tatlo Second Conference and bannered the march to the knockout stage on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Tropang Giga swept Pool A with a 4-0 slate following their 21-15 victory over previous leg winner San Miguel, 21-15, while the Southeast Asian Games-bound Appmasters also did the same in Pool C when they beat NorthPort in overtime, 21-19, for a 3-0 record.
The show of force by the top two title contenders came as reversals were the order of the day in the standalone tournament.
Perennial playoffs team Platinum Karaoke missed the quarterfinals for the very first time after being stunned by guest team Master Sardines, 21-20.
Levi Hernandez finished with eight points including the game-clinching free throw that gave Master its first ever victory in the meet.
The loss of Platinum, which lost for the third straight game after opening its campaign with a 19-18 win over San Miguel, had the Beermen and Terrafirma Dyip progressing to the next round from Pool A.
Larry Fonacier and the Braves march on.
Meanwhile, Meralco (2-1) and Cavitex (2-1) claimed the two quarterfinal spots in Pool B and Sista (2-1) the remaining ticket in Pool C following a wild-and-woolly campaign in pool play.
The erstwhile unbeaten Bolts fell prey to Purefoods TJ Titans, 17-15, the Braves turned back the Kings, 21-15, while Sista downed Pioneer Pro Tibay, 21-13.
Pioneer though clinched the last bus to the next stage by defeating the Kings in a sudden-death, 18-15.
The Kings and Titans ended up tied at 1-2 in Pool B, but Ginebra earned the right to dispute the No. 8 spot via a playoff after winning over Purefoods, 21-20, in the pool play.
The same with Pioneer and NorthPort in Pool C as Pioneer won its previous encounter with the Batang Pier, 21-19.
The quarterfinals match up will have Limitless taking on San Miguel, Cavitex against Terrafirma, Meralco versus Sista, and TNT opposite Pioneer.
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