By ADRIAN STEWART CO
Juan Miguel Tiongson converted a go-ahead triple as the Terrafirma Dyip scored a 92-91 victory over the Blackwater Bossing in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum on Saturday night, March 16.
Down by as much as 19 points early in the third quarter, the Dyip slowly clawed their way back until they secured an 89-88 lead on back-to-back conversions from George Isaac Go and Javi Gomez de Liaño.
Free throws by RK Ilagan and Rey Nambatac allowed the Bossing to regain the lead at 91-89, but a booming three-pointer from Tiongson with 12 seconds left gave the Dyip the lead for good.
Tiongson finished the game with 20 points, including two three-point conversions, to go with six rebounds and three assists as the Dyip snapped their two-game losing skid to improve to 3-2.
“Akala ko talaga down three kami, that’s why I was going for the three-point shot,” Tiongson said in a post-game interview.
“Nagulat ako that my teammates were running towards me. Panalo na pala kami. I didn’t know,” he added.
Stephen Holt tallied a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds to lead the way for the Dyip, while Go came off the bench to contribute 17 points and seven rebounds in the win.
Jeth Troy Rosario finished with 23 points to lead the Bossing. Ilagan added 15 markers, while Rey Suerte and Bradwyn Guinto ended with 10 points apiece. They dropped to 3-2.
Meanwhile, the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots kicked off the conference with a dominant 106-75 victory over the Converge FiberXers, which have now lost their fifth consecutive match.
Ian Sangalang led the way for the Hotshots with 17 points. Calvin Abueva and Jiovani Jalalon added 14 markers apiece, while Andy Mark Barroca contributed 12 points, six assists and five steals.
Justin Arana top-scored for the slumping FiberXers with 17 points to go with six rebounds. Alec Stockton added 15 markers, while Bryan Santos contributed 13 points, including three triples./ASC, WDJ
TERRAFIRMA 92 — Holt 21, Tiongson 20, Go 17, Sangalang 8, Sangalang 8, Alolino 6, Gomez de Liaño 6, Carino 5, Camson 4, Cahilig 3, Ramos 2, Calvo 0.
BLACKWATER 91 — Rosario 23, Ilagan 15, Suerte 12, Guinto 10, David 9, Nambatac 8, Tungcab 6, Hill 4, Yap 3, Escoto 0, Casio 0, Kwekuteye 0.
Quarterscores: 21-25, 38-54, 73-77, 92-91.