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MANILA, Philippines – TNT KaTropa made a sudden breakaway in shifting to higher gear in the second half and blasted Meralco, 113-95, for the decisive head start in their PBA Governors Cup best-of-five semifinal faceoff at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Tuesday night.
The Texters lived up to their billing as the playoff top seeds in the last two quarters, bamboozling the Bolts, 39-24, in the third and roaring on to sustain a dominant ride from the eliminations.
With the win, the Texters ride the momentum of a six-game romp in Game Two tomorrow at the same venue.
Barangay Ginebra goes for the pivotal 2-0 lead versus titleholder San Miguel Beer in the second game of their own race-to-three-games semis series at 7 p.m. tonight also at the Big Dome.
“Both teams were missing and making some shots in the first half. In the third, they missed some shots and we’re able to convert on the other end,” said TNT coach Jong Uichico.
“And as everybody will say, we haven’t accomplished anything yet and we can’t let our guards down as Meralco can come back,” Uichico added.
Michael Madanly, Jayson Castro, Larry Fonacier, Kelly Williams and Michal Ammons teamed up in their third-quarter breakaway, extricating the Texters from a shackle put on them by the Bolts in the first half.
Meralco engaged TNT in a nip-and-tuck battle in the first half, trailing by just two, 43-45, largely behind Allen Durham’s early double-double exploits.
Durham piled up 16 points and 13 rebounds as they fought the Texters through 16 lead changes and six deadlocks in the first 24 minutes of play.
The Bolts, however, just couldn’t keep up as the Texters stepped up in the third.
Madanly, Ammons and Castro all delivered the bulk of their outputs in the second half, combining for 40 after struggling for 11 in the opening half.
The Syrian import stood out as he sizzled with 4-of-6 three-pointers and a total of 20 markers after making only two in the first 24 minutes of play.
“Even when he was playing for NLEX, he’s known for his shooting. It’s his mindset,” said Uichico of Madanly, the scoring champ in the 2007 FIBA Asia Championship.
Uichico also had good words for Castro.
“We didn’t know the game plan of coach Norman (Black). So Jayson sized things up first. When he’s able to read it, his game came out naturally,” said Uichico.
“Jayson has been our pillar. It’s hard to have a winning team if you don’t have a good point guard. He’s known as a scoring point before. He’s improved on both facets of scoring and in setting up his teammates,” Uichico added.
Castro, the leading Best Player of the Conference candidate, came through with 14 points, nine assists, four rebounds and three steals. (By Nelson Beltran via PhilSatr)
The Texters lived up to their billing as the playoff top seeds in the last two quarters, bamboozling the Bolts, 39-24, in the third and roaring on to sustain a dominant ride from the eliminations.
With the win, the Texters ride the momentum of a six-game romp in Game Two tomorrow at the same venue.
Barangay Ginebra goes for the pivotal 2-0 lead versus titleholder San Miguel Beer in the second game of their own race-to-three-games semis series at 7 p.m. tonight also at the Big Dome.
“Both teams were missing and making some shots in the first half. In the third, they missed some shots and we’re able to convert on the other end,” said TNT coach Jong Uichico.
“And as everybody will say, we haven’t accomplished anything yet and we can’t let our guards down as Meralco can come back,” Uichico added.
Meralco engaged TNT in a nip-and-tuck battle in the first half, trailing by just two, 43-45, largely behind Allen Durham’s early double-double exploits.
Durham piled up 16 points and 13 rebounds as they fought the Texters through 16 lead changes and six deadlocks in the first 24 minutes of play.
The Bolts, however, just couldn’t keep up as the Texters stepped up in the third.
Madanly, Ammons and Castro all delivered the bulk of their outputs in the second half, combining for 40 after struggling for 11 in the opening half.
The Syrian import stood out as he sizzled with 4-of-6 three-pointers and a total of 20 markers after making only two in the first 24 minutes of play.
“Even when he was playing for NLEX, he’s known for his shooting. It’s his mindset,” said Uichico of Madanly, the scoring champ in the 2007 FIBA Asia Championship.
Uichico also had good words for Castro.
“We didn’t know the game plan of coach Norman (Black). So Jayson sized things up first. When he’s able to read it, his game came out naturally,” said Uichico.
“Jayson has been our pillar. It’s hard to have a winning team if you don’t have a good point guard. He’s known as a scoring point before. He’s improved on both facets of scoring and in setting up his teammates,” Uichico added.
Castro, the leading Best Player of the Conference candidate, came through with 14 points, nine assists, four rebounds and three steals. (By Nelson Beltran via PhilSatr)
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