By Adrian Stewart Co

TNT KaTropa relied on the second half to score a 104-93 stunner over the San Miguel Beermen in the 2019 Honda PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Jayson Castro finished with a double-double 24 points and 11 assists, while Jeth Troy Rosario returned from injury to contribute 22 markers, including six triples, for the KaTropa.

After being down by as much as eight points early in the third, KaTropa turned things around behind Castro, Rosario, and Ryan Reyes for a 71-68 lead. Six straight points from Celedonio Trollano allowed KaTropa to further build an 82-74 advantage.

KaTropa’s led 88-78 at the start of the fourth period after a trey by Reyes but the Beermen banked on inside hits by Christian Standhardinger and June Mar Fajardo to come to as close as 90-85.

Although, a quick response from KaTropa had Castro, Trollano, Brian Heruela, and Kelly Williams increasing the lead back to 100-89 before building its biggest lead of 104-89 on back-to-back layups by Castro./ASC, WDJ