MANILA, Philippines, October 31 ------ The TNT Tropang Giga are now up 2-0 in the 2024 PBA Governors' Cup Finals after imposing their will and ways in back-to-back games. Led by TNT reinforcement Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, the Chot Reyes-coached squad defeated Barangay Ginebra in Game 2, 96-84, at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The TNT star import played a full 48-minute game and scored 37 points built on six three-pointers, grabbed 13 rebounds and helped in the passing department with seven assists to go with a steal and a block. In contrast, Justin Brownlee, who played a minute less than the American-Jordanian basketball player, only had 19 points but had nine boards and three dimes. "I was blessed. I gotta give credit to God. At the end of the day, I were able to compete at a high level, you know, and sustain it for a long time," Hollis-Jefferson said during the postgame press conference.
Only leading by one after three frames, 72-71, the Tropang Giga started the final canto strong after the triples of veteran point guard Jayson Castro and 6-foot-2 RR Pogoy, dictating the tone of the rest of the match. Hollis-Jefferson contributed to that fiery run with an and-one of his own for an 81-73 separation with 10:28 remaining. The Gin Kings could not mount a comeback after misfiring in their field goal attempts for seven minutes in the payoff period.
National University product Glenn Khobuntin fired the dagger trey at the 1:33 mark for a ten-point cushion, 94-84, and Hollis-Jefferson followed through with a couple of freebies to seal the deal in Game 2. "We take what are the opportunities in front of us. If they play us a certain way, then we're going to take the penetration or drive. If they cover that, then we make sure we get the next best open shot," said Reyes. Helping the TNT import were Khobuntin and Calvin Oftana, who put up 13 points apiece. TNT's goal on Friday is keeping Ginebra win-less in the series at the same Quezon City venue. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.
The Scores:
TNT 96 – Hollis-Jefferson 37, Oftana 13, Khobuntin 13, Castro 9, Pogoy 9, Nambatac 6, Erram 4, Williams 3, Aurin 2
GINEBRA 84 – Brownlee 19, Thompson 18, Holt 11, J.Aguilar 11, Abarrientos 7, Ahanmisi 7, Cu 7, Pinto 4
QUARTERS: 19-23, 49-41, 72-71, 96-84
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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