Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser responded to coach Chot Reyes' challenge after his and his fellow bigs' performance in their previous match against Rain or Shine.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser explained the motivation behind his impressive performance in TNT's 108-92 victory over Rain or Shine in Game 4 of the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals.
Looking back at Game 3, Ganuelas-Rosser pointed out how the Tropang 5G bigs failed to impose their presence, leading to the team's first loss in the best-of-seven series.
His 22-11 showing Wednesday, July 2, came as a response to TNT coach Chot Reyes' challenge for them to toughen themselves up.
“Yesterday and today, coach challenged us before the game. He said, 'Toughness.' And that's all it was. We just had to be tougher,” said Ganuelas-Rosser.
“The last game, particularly our unit, the bigs, we kind of got embarrassed. Our manhood was kind of challenged, so I took it personal.”
[RELATED STORY: TNT trounces Rain or Shine in Game 4, moves a win away from PBA Finals]
Ganuelas-Rosser's timely showing helped the Tropang 5G deal with their compounding injury woes after Kelly Williams went down with an ankle sprain early in the match at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
“Today, I just wanted to make sure I was available: play tough, be active, be smart, make sure to protect my fouls,” Ganuelas-Rosser said.
Also doing his part was Jordan Heading, who also needed to step up on offense with the absence of injured RR Pogoy (hamstring).
The duo were unstoppable in pick-and-roll multiple times, especially in the fourth period, where TNT foiled a late Rain or Shine attempt at turning the tables.
Heading wound up with a game-high 23 points on top of five rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block.
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Calvin Oftana — who had an injury scare early in the fourth quarter after stepping on Gabe Norwood’s foot — added 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
It was actually in the third period that the Tropang 5G created a sizable lead they protected until the final buzzer.
Their 39-22 onslaught gave them an 80-69 lead, which they stretched to 89-72 two minutes into the fourth frame.
Rain or Shine would propel a 7-to-nothing run to slice the lead to 12, 85-97, on Andrei Caracut’s five points.
But Glenn Khobuntin and Poy Erram who were -17 and -15, respectively, at halftime, sank a triple and a jumper that restored order for good.
“That happened because we gave ourselves a lot of opportunities because of our defense. In the end, it was our defense that fueled the offense,” said TNT coach Chot Reyes.
“As long as we’re able to generate stops, we get a lot of possessions for ourselves to score.”
Meanwhile, Norwood was the unlikely scorer for the Elasto Painters in the loss, finishing with 18 points he spiked with nine rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Caracut put up 16 points, two rebounds and seven assists, and Caelan Tiongson added 15 points, four rebounds.
TNT vs. Rain or Shine scores:
TNT 108 – Heading 23, Ganuelas-Rosser 22, Oftana 16, Khobuntin 16, Galinato 8, Erram 8, Aurin 7, Vosotros 6, Heruela 2, Nieto 0, Enciso 0, Williams 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 92 – Norwood 18, Caracut 16, Tiongson 15, Nocum 12, Santillan 9, Datu 7, Mamuyac 7, Clarito 4, Malonzo 2, Asistio 2.
Quarterscores: 22-28, 41-47, 80-69, 108-92.