TNT Tropang Giga’s Calvin Oftana during the PBA Governors’ Cup Final Game 5 against the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
TNT came away with a win to repeat as PBA Governors’ Cup champions after defeating Barangay Ginebra 99-72 to take a 3-2 lead in the final series held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.
The Tropang Giga hummed in the second quarter and forced the Gin Kings into a nightmarish shootout in the same period that effectively ended the competitive phase of the deciding game for the title showdown.
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Import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson made his presence felt again while RR Pogoy, Calvin Oftana, Kelly Williams and Jayson Castro came through and TNT regained the driver’s seat after blowing a 2-0 lead with back-to-back defeats that allowed Ginebra to pull level.
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TNT Tropang Giga Import Rondae Hollis Jefferson during the PBA Governors’ Cup Final Game 5 against Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIREr.net
With the win, TNT has two chances to close out the game and secure the franchise’s 10th championship, starting with Game 6, which takes place on Friday at the same venue.
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Hollis-Jefferson had 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Pogoy had the same number of points behind three triples and a four-pointer to highlight TNT’s shooting from downtown.
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Oftana shook off the frustration of the Game 4 loss and scored 15 points and eight rebounds, Williams scored seven points and finished with 11 points in TNT’s 9-2 start, and Castro added 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists added.
With the Game 5 win, TNT forced Ginebra into a cold shooting night, limiting Justin Brownlee to under double figures for the first time in his PBA import career, scoring just eight points on 3-of-13 from the field.
Scottie Thompson tried to put Ginebra in a tough situation in the first half before TNT broke loose. He finished Game 5 with 13 points.
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