MANILA, Philippines — TNT catches fire in the fourth quarter en route to beating Meralco, 94-89 to draw first blood in their PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup best-of-seven semifinal series on Wednesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Calvin Oftana knocked down two triples to touch off a decisive 16-4 run in the final period to give the Tropang 5G a 90-79 lead, heading into the final 2:30 minutes.
The Bolts made their late-game fight back, highlighted by a rare four-point shot by Bong Quinto to push them to within 89-92. But a basket by TNT’s Bol Bol in the dying seconds doused cold water on Meralco’s last-ditch rally.
The 7-foot-3 Bol posted another dominant effort, finishing with 37 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and six assists.
Roger Pogoy added 21 and nine boards, while Oftana had a double-double of 14 and 11 to provide the big support on Bol.
Marvin Jones led the Bolts with 22 points. RICHARD DY
