A lot stepped up for TNT in the endgame, but it was Calvin Oftana who shone the brightest as the Tropang GIga beat Rain or Shine in their PBA Philippine Cup opener.
Calvin Oftana hit the crucial baskets as TNT Tropang Giga hammered out a 108-107 win over Rain or Shine for a successful PBA Philippine Cup opener on Wednesday, Feb. 28.
Oftana hit the last five points for the Tropang Giga, including the left-handed layup that gave the team a 108-104 lead with 45 seconds remaining.
Gun-shy in the first half, Oftana made his presence felt offensively when it mattered most for TNT and wound up with 23 points, including 17 in the final 24 minutes of action, and 14 rebounds. He also had three assists and a steal.
RR Pogoy scored 22 points, while Kim Aurin and newly-acquired Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser added 21 and 15 points, respectively.
Jayson Castro had 14 points and seven assists, including the two that made Oftana’s last buckets possible.
“To be honest I don’t know how we won that game,” said TNT coach Chot Reyes, who returned to the helm after taking the backseat from coaching TNT to focus on Gilas’ buildup for the FIBA World Cup.
Rain or Shine tried to recover after Oftana’s basket inside the final minute. But with Rain or Shine down by three, Jhonard Clarito opted to go for a quick deuce to close in, 108-107.
TNT, which played catch-up for most of the second half, came away with the opening-day victory in the All-Filipino.
The loss spoiled a spectacular 20-point, two-rebound, and four-assist outing by Adrian Nocum.
Nocum was having the game of his life, doing all sorts of things for the Elasto Painters. But he went down with crams with still two minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the game.
Santi Santillan also came up with 20 big points and 11 rebounds for ROS.
The Scores:
TNT 108 – Oftana 23, Pogoy 22, Aurin 21, Ganuelas-Rosser B. 15, Castro 14, Galinato 4, Khobuntin 4, Ganuelas-Rosser M. 3, Montalbo 2, Williams 0, Ebona 0, Reyes 0, Heruela 0, Ponferrada 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 107 – Nocum 20, Santillan 20, Caracut 15, Ildefonso 11, Belga 10, Datu 8, Demusis 6, Clarito 6, Mamuyac 5, Borboran 4, Norwood 2, Concepcion 0.
Quarterscores: 26-26, 51-52, 83-88, 108-107