Terrence Jones, TNT dump San Miguel
Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
ANTIPOLO — TNT played with sustained brilliance all game long all thanks to import Terrence Jones and its skipper Jayson Castro, en route to toppling San Miguel Beer, 110-97, in the nightcap of Saturday’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup action at Ynares Center here.
“The game plan was to really outplay them,” TNT coach Bong Ravena said of the wire-to-wire victory in the post-game presser. “The more wins for us, the better later on.”
Jones had 30 points and 18 rebounds, Castro collected a near-triple-double of nine points, 10 boards and 15 assists while Troy Rosario and Don Trollano tossed in a total of 30 points off the bench to help KaTropa improve to a 4-1 record, putting them alongside NorthPort in second place.
Ravena, despite the impressive start to the middle conference, said they are still far from their peak form, citing they could still double down on their defensive approach which has been crucial for TNT in its earlier matches.
“We have much to improve,” he said. “We also have to be smart enough on who we choose to guard—we have to work on our rotation on defense.”
TNT’s wall proved too much for the Beermen, as they were only able to draw 20 points from its tested import Charles Rhodes. Marcio Lassiter had 16 while June Mar Fajardo only 13.
Von Pessumal was among the few lone bright spots among the powerhouse squad’s local cast, posting 24 points.
TNT’s lead swelled to as big as 24 points, with the biggest challenge coming in late in the stretch. San Miguel clipped it to just eight before KaTropa’s Tony Semarad drilled a triple at 2:19 to snuff out every ounce of hope left from the Beermen’s side.
TNT moves on to face defending conference champion and crowd darling Barangay Ginebra on Independence Day.
San Miguel, meanwhile, goes up against top-ranked Blackwater this coming Friday.
