MANILA, March 6 ------ The TNT Tropang GIGA pulled away late for a 93-85 win against Rain or Shine in Game 4 of their PBA Commissioner's Cup semifinals series at the Araneta Coliseum. The result gave the Tropang GIGA a commanding 3-1 advantage in the best-of-7 affair. They can wrap up the series on Friday's Game 5, still at the Big Dome.
A balanced effort got the job done for TNT, with Calvin Oftana putting up 26 points while Roger Pogoy added 22. They did not need an explosive outing from Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, as th eimport tallied 17 points and 11 rebounds. In contrast, the Elasto Painters got little contribution from their locals. Deon Thompson exploded for 44 points, but no Rain or Shine local reached double-digits in the defeat.
The Elasto Painters repeatedly got within four points in the final quarter but were never able to get over the hump. Down 80-76 after two free throws from Thompson, Rain or Shine went cold, and the Tropang GIGA built a more comfortable 84-76 advantage thanks to Pogoy and Rey Nambatac. A Jhonard Clarito triple with 1:43 left gave the Elasto Painters some hope, 86-81, but Kim Aurin knocked down his own three-pointer on the other end to restore order for TNT. An Oftana layup made it a double-digit spread, 91-81, and the Tropang GIGA held on from there. Nambatac finished with 12 points, though he shot only 2-of-10 from the field. Keith Datu and Anton Asistio had eight points for ROS, but the TNT defense shut down Adrian Nocum, who scored just four points on a 1-of-7 clip.
The Scores :
TNT 93 – Oftana 26, Pogoy 22, Hollis-Jefferson 17, Nambatac 12, Aurin 9, Erram 4, Williams 3, Razon 0, Khobuntin 0
RAIN OR SHINE 85 – Thompson 44, Datu 8, Asistio 8, Caracut 6, Tiongson 6, Clarito 5, Nocum 4, Mamauyac 4, Norwood 0, Santillan 0
QUARTERS: 26-21, 53-43, 73-67, 93-85
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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