Tropang Giga unleashes strong 3rd quarter to thwart Painters in Game 1

MANILA, Philippines -- The TNT Tropang Giga took off in the third quarter and fended off the gritty Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 90-81, to grab Game 1 of their PBA Governors' Cup semifinal clash Wednesday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

The defending champions scored 36 points in the third quarter while locking down the Elasto Painters en route to the win.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was one assist away from a triple double with 26 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists, five steals and four blocks in 46 minutes of play. RR Pogoy added 16 markers and seven boards.

With Rain or Shine leading by four, 43-39, at the half, TNT started the second half with a massive 14-3 run capped by a Pogoy layup to grab a seven-point advantage, 53-46.

This gave them the momentum, as the Tropang Giga pushed the lead to 10, 70-60, in the same frame after a transition 3-pointer by former Elasto Painter Rey Nambatac.

The advantage grew to as much as 13 points, 80-67, following a Poy Erram layup with 10:08 left.

A split from the line by Keith Datu, followed by back-to-back 3-pointers by Felix Lemetti, turned it into a two-possession game, 74-80, with 7:19 to go.

Consecutive layups by Hollis-Jefferson and Calvin Oftana, though, made it a 10-point TNT lead anew, before Datu punched in a triple to cut the deficit to seven, 77-84.

Hollis-Jefferson and Jhonard Clarito traded shots in the next possessions, before the former Brooklyn Net unleashed a 4-pointer that connected, 90-79, with less than two minutes remaining. 

However, Hollis-Jefferson just answered shots by Rain or Shine late as TNT rolled to the 1-0 series lead.

"By and large, we were very happy with the pace of the game and how the game was going at halftime even when we were down four. All I said at halftime was we have them where we want them, relax and let's just go into the second half and execute what we practiced," Tropang Giga head coach Chot Reyes said.

"In the end, we cut down on our mistakes and the result was this," he added.

Nambatac finished with a near double-double of 14 points and 10 nine rebounds. Oftana added 11 markers and 10 boards.

Aaron Fuller paced Rain or Shine with 18 points and 21 rebounds. Gian Mamuyac chipped in 14 markers and eight boards to go with four dimes.

Game 2 of the series will be on Friday, 5 p.m., at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.