TNT scored the first 17 points against Rain or Shine and went on to pummel the Elasto Painters, 95-85, last night and boost its playoff position in the Smart Bro-PBA Philippine Cup.
But a dissatisfied coach Jong Uichico said his Tropang Texters still lacked killer instinct after nailing their fifth win in eight games.
“They (Tropang Texters) relaxed in the end; if we hadn’t had that big lead, Rain or Shine could have caught up,” Uichico said.
The Texters opened up leads of as large as 25 in the first half and were sharp until the closing minutes, when the Elasto Painters made up a lot of ground and made the final score look like it was a close game.
“I still don’t like the way we are playing,” Uichico went on. “(Today) we played a good 3-1/2 quarters.”
Uichico, though, gave some credit to TNT’s defense, which held the No. 1 offensive team in the tournament to just 27 first half points. Rain or Shine came into the contest averaging 103 points but dug itself a huge hole after missing its first 21 three-point tries.
Rookie Moala Tautuaa scored a career-high 27 points with fellow neophyte Troy Rosario shooting 19.
The Painters, who made four of their last five triple tries, dropped to 6-2.
TNT court general Jason Castro hands it off to Mo Tautuaa as Beau Belga applies pressure in last night’s game at the Big Dome. KIMBERLY DELA CRUZ
Meanwhile, Star snapped a four-game slide after surviving Mahindra, 104-96, to stay inside the circle of teams that will advance to the first phase of the quarterfinals.
Mark Barroca scored 26 points, shooting 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, while Alex Mallari had two crucial fastbreak layups that helped key the Hotshots’ third win in nine games.
The Hotshots moved within another victory of formally advancing to the quarterfinals while at the same time giving TNT, Barako Bull and NLEX a free ride into the next round.
The scores:
First Game
STAR 104—Barroca 26, Mallari 20, Yap 15, Simon 11, Pascual 10, Taha 6, Pingris 5, Sangalang 4, Melton 3, Cruz 2, Torres 2, .
MAHINDRA 96—Ramos 26, Dehesa 24, Pascual 11, Canaleta 8, Guinto 8, Yee 8, Revilla 5, Digregorio 4, Hubalde 2, Alvarez 0, Pinto 0, Webb 0.
Quarters: 24-18, 46-42, 73-69, 104-96
Second Game
TNT 95—Tautuaa 27, Rosario 19, Fonacier 9, Castro 9, Rosser 8, Reyes R. 8, Carey 4, Miranda 4, Williams 4, Aban 3, Reyes J. 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 85—Quinahan 21, Chan 15, Cruz 14, Almazan 13, Ahanmisi 8, Trollano 5, Belga 3, Nimes 2, Norwood 2, Matias 1, Tiu 1, Ibanes 0, Ponferada 0.
Quarters: 34-11, 50-27, 70-54, 95-85