By REYNALD MAGALLON
RR Pogoy came through with a booming triple as an All-Filipino TNT pulled the rug from under Meralco, 77-75, to retake the series lead in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, May 24.
Playing without an import and after Chris Newsome nailed what appeared to be the dagger to take the lead, Pogoy rose to the occasion and coolly sank the go-ahead triple over the outstretched arms of Cliff Hodge with 7.4 seconds left.
TNT regained the advantage, 77-75, after that big shot and the team only needed to put up the tough defensive stand that forced Meralco to two misses from point blank range to aid the Tropang 5G escape.
Pogoy only finished with nine points but nailed the biggest shot of the contest nonetheless to put TNT back on the series driver seat, 2-1.
Rey Nambatac led the way for the Tropang 5G with 18 points while Calvin Oftana and Jordan Heading chipped in 15 and 12.
Brandon Ganuelas Rosser successfully held the fort against Marvin Jones while also contributing eight points, eight rebounds to go with three blocks.
TNT was supposed to tap Malick Diouf as its import for Game 3 but the team failed to finish the processing of his papers in time to join the team.
Meanwhile, Scottie Thompson presided over a big third quarter onslaught before Ginebra staved off another comeback effort from Rain or Shine to hold on to a 103-98 victory in Game 3.
Thompson fired 10 of his game-high 25 points during a scintillating third frame that saw the Kings outscore the Elasto Painters, 29-12, to seize control of the contest after trailing by eight at intermission.
When the dust settled, Ginebra had erected an 82-70 cushion though it still had to overcome some tense moments down the stretch when ROS came closest at 99-94 with 1:26 left.
Thompson nailed five triples to go with seven rebounds while Justin Brownlee added 24 points, eight rebounds and nine assists as the Kings take a 2-1 series lead much to the delight of their faithfuls in the 13,524 fans in attendance.
RJ Abarrientos chipped in 17 while Stephen Holt finished with 11 points and seven boards.
Jaylen Johnson, who nailed a last-gasp four pointer to keep ROS within striking distance in the final minute, paced his team with 23 points, 21 rebounds and eight assists.
