Blackwater improved to 2-0, which is an improvement following a PBA Commissioner’s Cup campaign that saw it end up with a long win.
In a game where emerging star Rey Nambatac was shelved by an ankle injury, Blackwater played inspired basketball anew.
Just when fans thought the injury to Nambatac at the 6:58 mark of the opening period would spell doom for Blackwater, the Bossing proceeded to prove them wrong and came away with a strong 87-76 win over TNT in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup on Saturday, March 2.
Troy Rosario and RK Ilagan picked up the cudgels in Nambatac’s stead, finishing with 20 and 15 points, respectively, for the Bossing, who now hold a 2-0 win-loss record.
The current record is already an improvement for Blackwater following a PBA Commissioner’s Cup campaign that saw them end up with a lone win.
“I think you hit it in the nail by saying that tonight is really a team effort,” said Blackwater coach Jeff Cariaso.
Though it was a relatively tight game early on, the Bossing unloaded 13-0 run, capped by the 5-foot-8 Ilagan’s triple in the face of Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, to give them a 20-point spread, 85-65, with 4:58 remaining in the fourth period.
Calvin Oftana refused to fold in the face of that searing rally by the Bossing.
While the Bossing struggled to convert since that Ilagan trey, Oftana took matters into his own hands and dropped 11 points to keep Tropang Giga’s heads above the water.
His coast-to-coast layup with 46 seconds to go allowed TNT to trim what once looked like an insurmountable deficit to 11, 87-76.
But time just wasn’t on Tropang Giga’s side.
Oftana paced TNT with 21 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Jayson Castro scored 12 points, but ran out of gas in the final minutes of the loss.
TNT now sports a 1-1 tally in the season-ending conference.
The Scores:
BLACKWATER 87 – Rosario 20, Ilagan 15, David 13, Kwekuteye 9, Guinto 9, Yap 6, Escoto 5, Sena 4, Suerte 3, Hill 2, Tungcab 1, Nambatac 0, Jopia 0.
TNT 76 – Oftana 21, Castro 12, Khobuntin 8, Galinato 8, Ganuelas-Rosser B. 8, Williams 3, Ebona 2, Montalbo 2, Ganuelas-Rosser M. 2 , Aurin 2, Reyes 0, Ponferrada 0.
Quarterscores: 16-17, 39-35, 69-59, 87-76