NO import in the clutch, no problem.
TNT KaTropa pulled of an astounding rally down the stretch to prolong Alaska’s misery and take a thrilling 107-106 win that put the Texters back on track in the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup Friday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Before flying to Lebanon today to be a part of the national team in the FIBA Asia Cup, RR Pogoy first took care of business for his mother team, pouring in 25 points, highlighted by seven triples on only eight attempts as his scoring down the stretch lifted the Tropang Texters when they needed it the most.
TNT import Michael Craig was solid with a huge 29 points and 19 rebounds before fouling out with just a little over five minutes left, leaving the locals to carry the fight.
And they did.
Down, 95-82, with under six minutes left, TNT KaTropa, led by Pogoy, came up with a 17-4 blitz to even the count at 99-all with 2:19 remaining after the rising rookie’s lay-up. It was a back-and-forth exchange the rest of the way.
Five straight points from veterans Ranidel De Ocampo and Jayson Castro gave TNT a 107-103 edge with under a minute left, but Buck Henton’s triple kept Alaska in it and made it 107-103, with 35.8 ticks left in favor of the Texters.
After a Castro miss with 10 seconds left, Alaska had one final chance to steal the game, but Henton’s floater down the lane went astray as time expired.
The Tropang Texters improved to 2-1, while the long dry spell of Alaska continues as it lost its 12th straight, dating back to last conference, the worst streak in franchise history. It fell to 0-4 for the conference at the bottom of the pack with Kia.
Alaska established the game’s first double-digit lead after scoring the first bucket in the second half to take a 49-38 lead just seconds into the third and kept it until that TNT rally in the waning minutes to steal the game.
Henton’s career game produced game-highs 42 points and 22 rebounds along with four assists, but they all went to naught as woes for the Aces continued.
After a one-game absence, Alaska star Calvin Abueva returned to action and contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds for his team.
Sonny Thoss, this time around, was the one who missed the game for Alaska due to knee issues.
Action continues today as an intriguing duel takes place between undefeated league-leader NLEX (4-0) and surging defending champion Barangay Ginebra (2-1) at 5 p.m. at the Calasiao Sports Complex in Pangasinan.
Something’s got to give as a winning streak will be snapped.
The Road Warriors are armed with a four-game winning run and are shooting for their fifth straight, while the Gin Kings are on a two-game winning streak and shooting for their third in a row.
The scores:
TNT 107—Craig 28, Pogoy 25, Castro 23, Rosario 15, De Ocampo 7, Williams 4, Garcia 3, Tautuaa 2, Carey 0, Hernandez 0, Semerad 0.
ALASKA 106—Henton 42, Abueva 19, Manuel 13, Banchero 12, Casio 6, Baclao 4, Enciso 4, Magat 2, Hontiveros 2, Racal 2, Exciminiano 0.
Quarterscores: 17-20, 38-47, 71-80, 107-106.