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TNT bounced back after losing its season opener and denied Alaska, 106-98, of its first win in the PBA Philippine Cup Friday at Cuneta Astrodome.
The KaTropa are now at 1-1 while the Aces slipped to 0-2
TNT used an early surge to gain the upper hand for good, going on a blitzkrieg with a 9-0 run in the final minute of the second quarter.
Jayson Castro capped off the scoring spurt after taking the ball away from Calvin Abueva and immediately going to the cup for the layup to give TNT a 58-49 lead.
KaTropa head coach Nash Racela said their victory over Alaska was of utmost importance going into the New Year break as it will help build their confidence before they face off against defending champion San Miguel.
“It’s always hard to get the first win especially with our next game coming against San Miguel,” said Racela. “It’s nice to get the win before the year ends because at least we can get some sort of momentum.”
Troy Rosario had a team-high 21 points for TNT while also grabbing eight boards.
Moala Tautuaa and Jayson Castro each had 18 points to help the KaTropa’s cause.
Rookie Jeron Teng led all scorers with 28 points for Alaska while grabbing 10 boards and dishing out five assists.