MANILA – TNT Tropang Giga continued its hot start in the 2020 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup with a 107-88 domination over San Miguel Beermen (SMB) at the AUF Sports Arena and Cultural Center in Pampanga last night.
John Paul Erram tallied double-double 27 points and 15 rebounds while Bobby Ray Parks Jr. added 22 markers as the Tropang Giga surged to solo first place in the standings with 3-0 win-loss slate.
Jeth Troy Rosario chipped in 16 points and eight rebounds as Roger Pogoy, Jayson Castro and Simon Enciso submitted double-figures offense with 15, 11 and 10 markers respectively.
The Tropang Giga set the tone early with a 16-5 start on 10 points from Parks. The Beermen chopped the deficit to single digit, but conversions from Castro and Pogoy gave TNT a 30-19 lead.
TNT remained on top at 41-27 at the onset of the second period behind baskets from Erram and Rosario, but SMB rallied to within 35-41 before the Tropang Giga pulled away anew at 57-38 on consecutive points from Erram.
The Beermen came closest at 54-65 early in the third period, but the Tropang Giga managed to pull away anew with hits from Erram, Rosario, Pogoy, and Parks for its biggest advantage at 107-85 on a three-point play by Lervin Flores.
Alex Cabagnot finished the match with 15 points while Marcio Lassiter and Chris Ross added 14 and 13 markers respectively as the defending champions Beermen slumped to a 1-2 card.
Meanwhile, Rain or Shine (ROS) Elasto Painters wasted a double-digit lead before pulling off a 91-82 triumph over the TerraFirma Dyip to register its second victory in as many matches.
After establishing a double-digit lead in the opening half, the Painters had a flat start in the third period allowing the Dyip to take a 55-51 advantage before regaining control at 66-58 on hits by Javee Mocon, Rey Nambatac and Gabe Norwood.
The Painters widened the lead further in the fourth period on five straight points by Nambatac for an 82-66 lead. The Dyip made its last push as it cut the deficit to 76-82, but a triple by Nambatac and back-to-back hits by Norwood sealed the win for ROS.
Nambatac top-scored with 19 points while Mocon, Norwood and Beau Belga added 14 markers apiece for the Painters. Jaymar Perez finished the match with 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Dyip (0-2).
BOX SCORE:
TNT 107 – Erram 27, Parks 25, Rosario 16, Pogoy 15, Castro 11, Enciso 10, Reyes 3, Flores 3, Semerad 0, Washington 0, De Leon 0, Alejandro 0, Vosotros 0.
SAN MIGUEL 88 – Cabagnot 15, Lassiter 14, Ross 13, Santos 11, Romeo 11, Tautuaa 9, Zamar 5, Pessumal 3, Mamaril 2, Gamalinda 2, Escoto 2, De Guzman 1, Alolino 0, Comboy 0.
QUARTERSCORES:
Q1, 30-19; Q2, 57-38; Q3, 92-70; Q4, 107-88./PN
