RR Pogoy made the most of his limited time inside the court for TNT in Game 1 of its best-of-seven clash with San Miguel in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
RR Pogoy picked the perfect time to return and deliver.
Still on minutes restriction after recovering from a hamstring injury, Pogoy made the most of his 18 minutes on the floor as he went down to business early to ignite TNT's 99-96 win over San Miguel in Game 1 of the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup Finals that was marred by controversy Sunday, July 13.
The Cebuano sniper unloaded 15 of his 23 points in the first half where the Tropang 5G took a commanding 61-41 lead at the break.
[RELATED STORY: PBA: Mo Tautuaa expresses frustration after dunk ruled as interference in SMB’s Game 1 loss]
They looked like they would cruise to the win after posting a 24-point spread, 67-43, early in the third and were still enjoying an 85-66 advantage at the end of the frame.
But the Beermen mounted a mighty comeback in the fourth, which TNT expected from the multi-titled squad.
“First of all, we expected it. We had no illusions that San Miguel will just roll and lay down. We knew they’re going to mount a fightback,” said Tropang 5G head coach Chot Reyes after the match.
“Against a team like San Miguel, when you give them an inch of opportunity, they’re going to pounce on it.”
The Beermen did exactly that.
Outplayed in the first three quarters, San Miguel made it a game behind June Mar Fajardo, Chris Ross, Cjay Perez, Don Trollano and Mo Tautuaa.
The Beermen unleashed a 19-0 blast within a seven-minute stretch to regain the lead they last held in the first period on Fajardo’s basket, 93-92, with 2:14 to go.
It was a back-and-forth game after that.
TNT Tropang 5G super import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is among the spectators in Game 1 of the PBA Finals. | Photo (c) RM Chua/One Sports
Fortunately for TNT, an offensive basket interference violation on Mo Tautuaa that nullified the SMB big's basket gave the lead back to the Grand Slam-seeking squad, and they eventually came away with the win.
Tautuaa’s dunk with 56.1 ticks remaining was ruled as such upon review during dead ball with just six ticks remaining in the match.
[RELATED STORY: Chot on controversial call on Tautuaa: 'We're already saying it looked like an interference']
“Siguro, 'yong willingness to win lang. Hindi kami sumusuko. Siguro 'yon ang nagbigay ng kumpyansa sa'min,” said Pogoy, who logged a 6-for-11 scoring clip he laced with two rebounds and two assists.
Calvin Oftana managed to secure the ball after a jumpball between Ross and Jordan Heading, then sealed the thriller with a pair of pressure-packed free throws.
Heading backstopped Pogoy with his second-best 19 points along with his three rebounds and six assists.
Oftana chipped in 13 points, nine rebounds and three assists, while Kelly Williams returned from an ankle injury with nine points, seven rebounds, four assists and a steal.
“Alam naman natin, semis pa lang ang dami na naming pinagdaanan. Ngayon pa ba kami susuko? 'Yon lang ang nasa isip namin,” said Pogoy.
Meanwhile, Fajardo saw his 26-15 performance go down the drain. The eight-time Most Valuable Player also had two steals and two blocks.
Perez submitted 19 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block, Trollano scored 13, while Mo Tautuaa, who expressed his frustration on the call after the match, added 10 points and seven rebounds.
TNT vs. San Miguel scores:
TNT 99 – Pogoy 23, Heading 19, Oftana 13, Ganuelas-Rosser 13, Williams 9, Erram 9, Enciso 6, Khobuntin 5, Heruela 2, Aurin 0.
SAN MIGUEL 96 – Fajardo 26, Perez 19, Trollano 13, Tautuaa 10, Cruc 8, Ross 7, Lassiter 7, Tiongson 4, Brondial 2, Teng 0, Rosales 0.
Quarterscores: 28-22, 61-41, 85-66, 99-96.