By ADRIAN STEWART CO
The TNT Tropang Giga secured the remaining quarterfinals seat in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup after a 116-96 victory over the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City on Sunday night, January 14.
Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson had a near triple-double numbers of 35 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds to go with three steals and one block as the Tropang Giga finished with a 5-6 win-loss slate for eighth place.
Calvin Oftana added 19 markers, rookie Kim Aurin contributed a career-high of 18 points, while Brian Heruela and returning Roger Pogoy had 14 and 11, respectively, for the Tropang Giga.
After finishing the eliminations as the eighth seed team, the Tropang Giga will have a twice-to-win disadvantage over the no. 1 ranked Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots in the quarterfinals.
Down by as much as 10 points in the second quarter, the Tropang Giga slowly clawed their way back before completing the turnaround in the third quarter for an 88-78 advantage.
The Tropang Giga continued their run in the final quarter with inside hits by Hollis-Jefferson and outside shots by Heruela and Pogoy as the lead reached its largest at 26 points.
Johnathan Williams III finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, while Rodolfo Alejandro, Jr. added 12 markers for the Fuel Masters, which will have a twice-to-beat edge over the Meralco Bolts in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters survived a tough stand by also-ran Converge FiberXers for a 112-111 win to stretch their winning streak to six games heading into the quarterfinals.
The Painters ended the elimination round with a 6-5 record for seventh place, and will have a twice-to-win disadvantage over the no. 2 ranked San Miguel Beermen in the eighth round.
The other quarterfinals pairing is between the no. 3 seed Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings against the no. 6 NorthPort Batang Pier with the former armed with a twice-to-beat edge./ASC, WDJ
TNT 116 — Hollis-Jefferson 35, Oftana 19, Aurin 18, Heruela 14, Pogoy 11, Galinato 6, Williams 4, Montalbo 3, Castro 3, Tungcab 3, Khobuntin 0, Reyes 0, Ponferrada 0, Ganuelas-Rosser 0, Cruz 0, Tolomia 0.
PHOENIX 96 — Williams 21, Alejandro 12, Tio 10, Manganti 10, Perkins 9, Rivero 7, Soyud 6, Jazul 5, Mocon 4, Tuffin 4, Daves 4, Verano 3, Muyang 1, Lalata 0, Garcia 0, Camacho 0.
Quarterscores: 23-27, 51-53, 88-78, 116-96.