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TNT ended a two-game losing skid with a 104-92 win over Mahindra in the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup Wednesday at Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
Troy Rosario just missed a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds and capped off his night with an emphatic follow-up dunk to seal the KaTropa’s fifth win in nine outings.
“It was tough playing Mahindra especially with them coming off back-to-back wins and it took our best to really cover all their shooters,” said TNT head coach Nash Racela, whose team tied Blackwater in fourth place. “That’s something we emphasized to our players during practice. Give effort in closing out on their shooters specifically Paniamogan and DiGregorio.”
“Not so much satisfied [with the win] if we base it on the game, but I see the players really finding ways to play together and deliver,” said Racela. “It’s a process and I’m just hoping that we’re going the right direction.”
Wary of the Floodbuster’s outside shooting, the KaTropa limited their opponents to only 9-of-29 from long range, a far cry from their franchise-record 21 made triples exactly a week ago in a victory over the Meralco Bolts.
Clinging to an 88-87 edge, TNT made Mahindra pay for leaving its shooters open with Larry Fonacier hitting a three and Ryan Reyes adding a couple more to give the KaTropa a 97-88 lead with 5:30 left.
Aside from Rosario, five others scored in double figures with Roger Pogoy adding 16 on top of four steals.
Mo Tautuaa tallied 14 points, Kris Rosales and Fonacier contributing 11 each while Jayson Castro chipped in 10 points.
Alex Mallari led all scorers with 19 points for the Floodbuster (2-6), whose two-game run was snapped.