By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
THE TNT KaTropa got back to the win column yesterday after defeating the Meralco Bolts, 113-107, in their Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup encounter yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Lost in their previous game, the KaTropa avoided dropping consecutive games by making sure to be on top of the Bolts from start to finish.
Import Glen Rice, Jr. continued with his steady play for TNT with Jayson Castro also making things happen in the win.
TNT got off to a strong start, outscoring Meralco, 12-5, in the first four minutes of the game.
It was a cushion that the KaTropa would use to build a 29-17 advantage by the end of the first canto.
Messrs. Rice and Castro then took charge to give TNT further distance from Meralco in the second period.
They first held a 16-point lead, 42-26, with 8:11 to go in the quarter before extending it to 21 points, 56-35, at the 3:47 mark.
Meralco tried to narrow the separation the rest of the way but could only go within 17 points at the halftime break, 63-46.
In the third period, the Bolts went on an early 8-2 run behind import Allen Durham and guard Baser Amer to cut their deficit, 65-54, in the first two minutes of the frame.
Messrs. Rice and Castro would provide breathing room for TNT with back-to-back baskets thereafter.
But Meralco would continue to chip away at the KaTropa lead, cutting it down to two points, 78-76 with less than four minutes left.
TNT though survived the Meralco charge back, keeping a five-point distance at the end of the third quarter, 89-84.
The two teams continued to slug it out in the payoff period, looking for the leverage to take a win.
The score stood at 103-97 at the five-minute mark with TNT still ahead.
Meralco, however, gained some headway in the next three minutes, cutting down its deficit to a bucket, 107-105, with 1:42 left on the clock.
Mr. Rice scored off a timeout after to give his team a four-point lead, which Mr. Castro added with two free throws moments later to push TNT ahead, 111-105, with 57 ticks remaining.
Meralco sliced the TNT lead to four, 111-107, with 13 seconds left in the clock but that was the closest it would get as the KaTropa parked the win.
Mr. Rice finished with 32 points and 11 rebounds while Mr. Castro had 27 points, three assists and two blocks to earn player of the game honors.
Kelly Williams also had a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds for TNT.
For Meralco, it was Mr. Durham who led the way with 39 points, 24 rebounds and four assists.
Mr. Amer ended up with 21 points while Garvo Lanete and Mike Tolomia each had nine points.
“We’re expecting Meralco to come back in the game because they have a good import in Allen Durham. But in the end it was total team effort for us and we found a way to win. So credit to the players,” said TNT coach Nash Racela after their win.
With the victory, the KaTropa improved to 5-3 with the Bolts dropping to 5-2.
TNT will next play on Sept. 13 against the NLEX Road Warriors while Meralco is back on the court on Saturday, Sept. 9, versus the Star Hotshots.