MANILA – Jayson Castro carried the TNT Tropang Giga in the endgame to beat Alaska Aces, 81-77, in the 2021-2022 PBA Governors’ Cup on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Down 65-69 midway in the fourth quarter, Castro converted two straight baskets followed by conversions from Mikey Williams and Glenn Khobuntin to take a 75-73 lead.
Castro then widened TNT’s lead to 78-73 with a three-point conversion. After two free throws by Aces’ Jeron Teng, Castro converted a turnaround basket for Tropang Giga for an 80-75 edge.
Alaska trimmed the deficit to 77-80 with under a minute left on a layup by Oluseyi Ashaolu but Castro sealed the victory for TNT via a free throw with 10 seconds remaining.
Castro finished the match with 20 points, all in the second half, to go with six assists and five rebounds, while Khobuntin chipped in 16 markers. The Tropang Giga moved up to 1-1 in the leaderboard.
Reinforcement McKenzie Moore contributed 13 points for the Tropang Giga before being benched in the endgame, while Williams struggled with just 12 points.
Ashaolu tallied double-double 29 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Aces, while Teng added 13 markers. This was their second consecutive defeat after a 2-0 start.
Meanwhile, the PBA Commissioner’s Office announced the return of the traditional Christmas Day matches with a double-header at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Facing in the first game at 3 p.m. will be KJ McDaniels and the NLEX Road Warriors against Paul Harris and the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters.
In the main game at 6 p.m. will be the “Manila Clasico” rivalry between defending champions Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings and Magnolia Pambansang Manok Hotshots.
BOX SCORE:
TNT 81 — Castro 20, Khobuntin 16, Moore 13, M. Williams 12, K. Williams 6, Erram 6, Banal 5, Marcelo 2, Pogoy 1, Heruela 0, Alejandro 0, Reyes 0.
ALASKA 77 — Ashaolu 29, Teng 13, Brondial 9, Digregorio 7, Herndon 7, Tratter 6, Ahanmisi 5, Tolomia 1, Taha 0, Stockton 0, Racal 0.
Quarterscores: 9-15, 30-35, 62-62, 81-77./PN
