MANILA, Philippines—TNT got a brutal lesson in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals when its top seeding failed to intimidate Alaska at all.
The Aces embarrassed the KaTropa 108-72 to force TNT to make use of its twice-to-beat advantage but no.1 team in the eliminations made sure not to commit the same mistake twice.
Seemingly angered by the beating they received, the KaTropa took control of the rubber match and advanced to the semifinals after a 104-93 victory.
Star point guard Jayson Castro hoped that the 36-p0int beatdown serves as a lesson for them moving forward.
“You’re the no.1 team and you will be blown out by 30 points, it’s embarrassing,” said Castro in Filipino Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “As a veteran, I told my teammates that it’s okay to lose, but not in that way.”
“Fortunately we had the twice-to-beat and it’s a good thing we were able to recover in this game. Hopefully, this will serve as a lesson for us including in our future series.”
TNT’s victory, however, still didn’t come easily as the Aces, who last week were on the brink of missing the playoff, even maintained control for three quarters.
It was in the fourth that the KaTropa found their groove as they outscored the Aces 25-12 in the final frame.
Castro capped off a 6-0 run that put TNT up 93-87 with 5:15 to play and Terrence Jones went on a personal 7-0 sprint to give the KaTropa a 102-90 buffer with less than half-a-minute remaining.
“I saw the character development of my team, especially the young guys, I hope this momentum continues for us,” said Castro who had 17 points and six assists.