MANILA – Mikey Williams heated up in the overtime as TNT Tropang Giga cruised to a 106-101 victory over NorthPort Batang Pier last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Williams set the tone of the offense for the Tropang Giga in the extension period with two three-point conversions and a layup to build a 100-90 advantage.
Batang Pier went on a huge rally to trim the deficit to 104-101 but could not force another deadlock before Ryan Reyes sealed the win for the Tropang Giga with two free throws.
Williams finished the match with 28 points. Aaron Fuller and Jayson Castro chipped in 15 markers apiece, while Roger Pogoy and Kelly Williams ended up with 11 and 10 markers, respectively, for TNT.
With a 7-4 win-loss slate, the Tropang Giga locked in at the No.3 seed and will have a twice-to-beat advantage against No.6 ranked Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings in the quarterfinals.
Despite the loss, the Batang Pier (5-6) remains alive as they will face Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters (5-6) in a playoff game on Sunday night for the eighth and last quarterfinals seat.
The winner of the Batang Pier-Fuel Masters KO game will have a twice-to-win disadvantage over No.1 seed Magnolia Pambansang Manok Hotshots in the quarterfinals.
The other quarterfinals pairing were between No.2 NLEX Road Warriors and No.7 Alaska Aces and No.4 Meralco Bolts against No.5 San Miguel Beermen with the higher seeds enjoying a twice-to-beat edge.
BOX SCORE:
TNT 106 – M. Williams 28, Castro 15, Fuller 15, Pogoy 11, K. Williams 10, Rosario 6, Erram 6, Montalbo 5, Khobuntin 5, Reyes 5, Heruela 0.
NORTHPORT 101 – Artis 39, Bolick 22, Santos 16, Malonzo 13, Balanza 6, Taha 3, Ferrer 2, Rike 0.
Quarterscores: 29-14, 54-39, 72-73, 90-90, 106-101./PN
