Fiery start: TNT, Rain or Shine down NorthPort, Blackwater in Governors’ Cup opener

MANILA, Philippines – The TNT Tropang Giga and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters opened their respective PBA Governors’ Cup campaigns on a high note as they picked up contrasting victories at the Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday, August 20.

TNT super import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson filled up the stat sheet for the undermanned Tropang Giga as they gutted out a tight 101-95 win against the NorthPort Batang Pier in Group A action.

Hollis-Jefferson dropped 32 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 4 blocks for TNT, which played minus injured players Roger Pogoy, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, Henry Galinato, Kelly Williams, and Ryan Reyes.

“We knew we were going to have a difficult time. We mentally prepared ourselves for it,” said TNT head coach Chot Reyes.

“We have a lot of guys on the injured list, we don’t have the depth we normally have.”

Calvin Oftana helped Hollis-Jefferson carry the scoring load with 15 points, highlighted by a 2-of-2 clip from the new four-point line, while newly-acquired guard Rey Nambatac chipped in 13 points in his Tropang Giga debut.

With TNT threatening to pull away with a 99-91 lead off a two-handed slam by Hollis-Jefferson with 32.6 seconds left, Arvin Tolentino countered with a booming four-point shot to cut the lead to just a single possession, 99-95, with 24.6 seconds remaining.

NorthPort had another chance to tie the game with a four-point shot after Nambatac committed a costly turnover off an inbounds play, but new Batang Pier guard Jio Jalalon was called for a travel with just 9.3 ticks to play.

Like Hollis-Jefferson, NorthPort reinforcement Taylor Jones was all over the floor for the Batang Pier as he produced game-highs of 36 points and 16 rebounds, along with 9 assists.

Tolentino, a member of the PBA’s Season 48 First Mythical Team, contributed 23 points and 8 rebounds for NorthPort in the loss.

Meanwhile, Rain or Shine spoiled the debut of No. 2 overall pick Sedrick Barefield as it blasted the Blackwater Bossing in Group B, 110-97.

In his first game back in the league since suiting up for TNT in the 2021 Governors’ Cup, Aaron Fuller posted game-highs of 24 points on a healthy 9-of-11 field goal clip and 19 rebounds in over 34 minutes.

Caelan Tiongson, the seventh pick in the recent PBA Draft, backed up Fuller with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, while Leonard Santillian and another Rain or Shine rookie Felix Lemetti added 12 and 11 markers, respectively, on a combined 7-of-11 three-pointers.

“I was happy with the performances of our rookies,” said Rain or Shine tactician Yeng Guiao. “Caelan played well, Felix played well.”

“At least in our first game, everything seems to fall in place,” Guiao added.

After enjoying a nine-point advantage at halftime, 59-50, the Elasto Painters broke the game wide-open in the third quarter and entered the final frame with their biggest lead of the contest, 83-62, thanks to a triple by Lemetti.

Blackwater managed to pull within 10 points with under three minutes left to play, but Rain or Shine’s Anton Asistio crushed any hopes of a Bossing comeback as he unloaded five straight points, including a tough stepback trey with just 1:30 to go.

The Filipino-American guard Barefield led the Bossing in the scoring column with 18 points, but shot just 8-of-20 from the field.

James Kwekuteye put up 17 points on a near-perfect 5-of-6 shooting from deep, while import Ricky Ledo had a forgettable debut for Blackwater as he finished with only 12 points on an awful 4-of-23 field goal clip.

The Scores

First Game

Rain or Shine 110 – Fuller 24, Tiongson 15, Santillan 12, Lemetti 11, Mamuyac 10, Asistio 9, Nocum 8, Clarito 8, Ildefonso 4, Villegas 4, Datu 3, Belga 2, Caracut 0, Norwood 0.

Blackwater 97 – Barefield 18, Kwekuteye 17, Guinto 15, Ledo 12, Rosario 10, David 7, Chua 6, Casio 5, Tungcab 3, Jopia 2, Suerte 2, Ponferada 0, Hill 0, Mitchell 0, Montalbo 0.

Quarters: 30-26, 59-50, 83-62, 110-97.

Second Game

TNT 101 – Hollis-Jefferson 32, Oftana 15, Nambatac 13, Khobuntin 12, Heruela 9, Erram 8, Castro 7, Exciminiano 3, Aurin 2, Ebona 0, Vosotros 0, Payawal 0.

NorthPort 95 – Jones 36, Tolentino 23, Cuntapay 8, Munzon 7, Jalalon 6, Bulanadi 6, Navarro 4, Nelle 3, Flores 2, Yu 0, Tratter 0, Amores 0.

Quarters: 22-23, 50-48, 76-69, 101-95.

– Rappler.com