September 18 ------ RONDAE Hollis-Jefferson carried TNT in stretching its winning streak to five, surviving Magnolia, 84-82, in the PBA 49th Season Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Hollis-Jefferson had an all-around effort, finishing with 29 points and 25 rebounds, as the Tropang Giga stepped closer to clinching the No. 1 spot in Group A with a 7-1 win-loss record. TNT can seal the top seed in its group with a win over Terrafirma on Thursday.
Magnolia slipped to 4-4 with the defeat, and in a precarious spot as it is now tied with Converge for third place, and one game ahead of NorthPort, which has a 3-5 slate. The TNT import had eight points in the fourth quarter including four in a six-point swing to take an 82-75 lead, the biggest for the Tropang Giga in the contest, with 47.7 seconds to play. During that stretch, Hollis-Jefferson also had a crucial block – one of his four – against Zav Lucero in the 2:27 mark of the game
Hollis-Jefferson also spoiled the effort of Shabazz Muhammad, who had 30 points for the Hotshots, with TNT also playing without Rey Nambatac and Kim Aurin. “We knew that we would struggle because we don’t have two of our outside shooters – Rey Nambatac and Kim Aurin – and you remember the last time we played, Rey hit some very crucial outside shots in the end game,” said TNT coach Chot Reyes. “That was the challenge for us if we could find ways to score without two of our top gunners. The second challenge is really their (Magnolia) motor, their physicality, their energy, and that’s going to be very important in the playoffs." he added.
RR Pogoy added 19 points and five rebounds, while Calvin Oftana had 10 points and nine rebounds. A four-point shot by Jerrick Ahanmisi closed the game up with 1.1 seconds left, but it was too little too late for Magnolia, which has now lost two out of the last three games, their only win coming at the expense of Terrafirma, 100-99, last Thursday. The Hotshots even lost Mark Barroca in the end game after he was hit in the nose with 3:06 left. Kelly Williams was slapped with a technical foul for second motion following the incident, although Barroca said he was unsure whether it was Williams or Castro who accidentally hit him.
The scores:
TNT 84 – Hollis-Jefferson 29, Pogoy 19, Oftana 10, Castro 9, Williams 9, Khobuntin 4, Heruela 3, 1, Exciminiano 0, Vosotros 0, Varilla 0.
Magnolia 82 – Muhammad 30, Lee 13, Ahanmisi 12, Barroca 10, Lucero 10, Dela Rosa 2, Abueva 2, Laput 2, Dionisio 1, Mendoza 0, Sangalang 0.
Quarters: 18-19; 40-36; 60-64; 84-82.
Source: spin.ph
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