Calvin Oftana delivers standout performance in TNT’s third win
Calvin Oftana helped the TNT Tropang Giga defeat the Meralco Bolts, 101-99, in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup on Tuesday, January 7, at the Philsports Arena.
Oftana matched Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s output by posting 24 points, hitting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, while adding four rebounds and two assists, earning him Player of the Game honors.
"Those breaks, we don't take it as a break. We are also conditioning ourselves since the conference is still ongoing. That's our job and we're happy that we won today because it's our first game and our minds are still very much on the cloud. At least now, December is over," Oftana said during the post-game press conference.
TNT head coach Chot Reyes praised the team’s flexibility, especially in the second half as Meralco tightened their defense against Oftana.
"In the second half, they [Meralco] never left Calvin. That's why we needed Roger [Pogoy] to step up and Jayson [Castro] hit that big three," said Reyes.
"That's how our game is, we empower our players to make plays and the key really is their selflessness and their awareness. They just have to be aware of what the situation is and then they have to be very willing," he added.
Meralco rallied to tie the game 99-all in the closing seconds after TNT, fresh off a 19-day break, took a commanding 23-point advantage early on.
The two teams kept trading baskets until Cliff Hodge fouled Hollis-Jefferson. RHJ’s free throws with ten seconds remaining in the game gave the Tropang Giga the victory.
In a solid all-around performance, the TNT’s super import finished with 24 markers, 13 boards, and five dimes, with Rey Nambatac contributing 15 points in the win.
Import Akil Mitchell topped Meralco’s scoring column with 24 markers, 18 rebounds, and seven assists, while Chris Newsome chipped in 19 points and eight dimes in the losing cause.
TNT is set to battle Converge on Saturday, January 11, while Meralco will try to claw back when they go against NLEX on Friday, January 10.
The Scores:
TNT 101 – Hollis-Jefferson 24, Oftana 24, Nambatac 15, Pogoy 12, Castro 7, Erram 6, Galinato 5, Aurin 5, Khobuntin 3, Razon 0, Varilla 0.
MERALCO 99 – Mitchell 24, Newsome 19, Banchero 14, Quinto 12, Black 8, Hodge 6, Rios 5, Bates 4, Almazan 4, Cansino 3, Caram 0.
Quarter Scores: 27-17, 52-35, 79-68, 101-99.
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The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters extended their win streak at the expense of Blackwater Bossing, 122-106, in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup at the Philsports Arena in Pasig on Wednesday, January 8.
With the efforts of import Deon Thompson, Adrian Nocum, and Santi Santillan, the Elasto Painters ensured that Blackwater would not repeat the same scenario where George King and the Bossing wiped them out during last year’s Governor’s Cup.
Nocum's consistency paid off as he poured IN 22 points, pulled down five rebounds, and three steals to help the Elasto Painters some sense of revenge on their tormentors from the previous conference.
“For me, I just stick to whatever my coaches tell me regarding our game plan. Even coach [Yeng Guiao] said that we played well in that game but our opponents just played a lot better,” said Nocum during the postgame interview.
“Every approach I have is the same [from then ’til now]. I just stick to my coaches’ plans,” he added.
Rain or Shine jumped off to a 39-16 lead, faltered in the second frame, and then picked up steam in the second half where Nocum had a field day, highlighted by an acrobatic layup in the fourth quarter.
Thompson churned out 25 points for the Elasto Painters on top of 16 boards, four dimes, and a rejection, while Santillan registered 20.
Anton Asistio had a total of 18 points after helping the team create an early lead in the first quarter with a nine-point performance.
Rain or Shine’s record improved to 5-1, and they will aim to build on this win when they face the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Saturday, January 11.
The Scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 122 – Thompson 25, Nocum 22, Santillan 20, Asistio 18, Tiongson 11, Clarito 9, Demusis 8, Caracut 6, Ildefonso 1, Belga 0, Norwood 0, Lemetti 0, Escandor 0
BLACKWATER 106 – King 35, Ayonayon 11, David 10, Chua 10, Escoto 9, Ponferrada 6, Suerte 6, Kwekuteye 5, Jopia 5, Hill 4, Casio 3, Corteza 2, Guinto 0
Quarter Scores: 39-25, 56-47, 94-79, 122-106
The Hiroshima Dragonflies dominated San Miguel Beermen, 94-63, to earn a Final Four ticket on Wednesday night, January 8, at the Hiroshima Sun Plaza, Japan.
Hiroshima's win also eliminated the winless SMB (0-4) out of contention in the next round.
The Dragonflies were led by the almost triple-double performance of Kerry Blackshear Jr. who produced 12 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists, and three steals.
Nick Mayo and Keijiro Mitani both put up 18 markers to lead the Japanese team in scoring. Mayo also grabbed eight rebounds and issued two dimes, while Mitani stole the ball thrice.
On the other hand, San Miguel import Torren Jones paced the team with 24 points and 13 rebounds, while June Mar Fajardo added 12 markers and nine boards.
EASL Final Four 2025, set for March 7-9, will award a $1 million prize to the champion, $500,000 to the runner-up, and $250,000 for third place.
The scores:
HIROSHIMA 94 – Mayo 18, Mitani 18, Blackshear 12, Nakamura 11, Yamazaki 11, Watanabe 9, Kawata 7, Roberts 5, Ichikawa 3, Kamisawa 0, Takeuchi 0.
SAN MIGUEL 63 – Jones 24, Fajardo 12, Tiongson 9, Lassiter 4, Tautuaa 4, Ross 3, Perez 3, Teng 2, Cruz 2, Cahilig 0.
Quarter Scores: 30-18; 52-37; 68-51; 94-63.
Northport finally snapped a 14-game losing streak after a nail-biting 119-116 win over Ginebra with Joshua Munzon playing a huge role in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday night, January 8, at the Philsports Arena.
“It’s a statement win for us,” declared Batang Pier head coach Bonnie Tan, whose team maintained its lead in the rankings with its impressive 7-1 win-loss record.
Despite Northport's explosive 5-0 conference debut, there were questions regarding the team's legitimacy. Tan hopes that his Batang Pier's thrilling victory over the Gin Kings will ultimately diminish doubts.
"Everyone's questioning the status of the team, that we are not winning against the big teams. I hope with this win, we proved that we're here to win games," said Tan. "We're here to be competitive. We are not just here to participate."
In front of a hostile crowd in Pasig, the team’s success was centered on the formidable trio of import Kadeem Jack and local aces Arvin Tolentino and Munzon, with the latter assuming the role of main protagonist for the Batang Pier in one of their greatest victories in franchise history against the crowd darlings.
Munzon scattered 27 points on the stat sheets, along with two rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one block, hailing him the Best Player of the Game.
“Going into the break, we knew that we will play a tough team in Ginebra, one of the better teams in the league. We’ve been preparing for them pretty much the whole break and all our hard work paid off tonight,” said Munzon.
“We were able to stick to the game plan and we made it happen,” he added.
Munzon’s efforts proved to be sufficient for the team as Tolentino, who finished with 29 markers and five boards prior to his exit, was fouled out in the closing seconds of the game.
Jack top scored for the Batang Pier, finishing with a game-high 39 points on top of 16 rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
Munzon and the Batang Pier have a chance to convert more skeptics into believers when they face another league contender in Meralco on Tuesday, January 14, at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Scores:
NorthPort 119 – Jack 32, Tolentino 29, Munzon 27, Flores 9, Navarro 8, Bulanadi 5, Onwubere 4, Cuntapay 3, Yu 2, Nelle 0, Jalalon 0.
Ginebra 116 – Brownlee 23, Thompson 17, Rosario 17, Abarrientos 17, Ahanmisi 12, Holt 11, Cu 9, J.Aguilar 8, Tenorio 2.
Quarter Scores: 31-27, 67-58, 98-87, 119-116.