RHJ’s 45-point explosion propels TNT to a comeback playoff win over NLEX

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Reigning Best Import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had another day in the office after leading the TNT Tropang Giga to a come-from-behind win over the NLEX Road Warriors, 107-102, to draw first blood in their PBA Governor’s Cup quarterfinal clash on September 25, 2024, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The super import erupted for 45 big points and helped the Tropang Giga erase a 13-point deficit to frustrate the Road Warriors that looked to be in control of the whole first half.

Despite a rough shooting night from NLEX’s superstar Robert Bolick, the rest of the Road Warriors found their shooting rhythm which was enough to build a double-digit lead in the first half.

When the game was on the line, Jefferson began to smell blood and manhandled the NLEX perimeter defense in the second half, shooting shots at will while draining his signature fade-away shots in the left block down the shaded lane.

TNT’s monumental stretch came in the final 12 minutes of the ball game when they stunned the Road Warriors with a momentum-clinching offensive run.

In the 9:10 mark of the fourth canto, the trio of Jefferson, Calvin Oftana, and RR Pogoy joined hands to officially put TNT in the lead.

After that sequence, the Road Warriors suddenly went flat in the most crucial time frame in the fourth, allowing the Tropang Giga to take over the game and bag Game 1.

Jefferson and Oftana then broke NLEX’s hearts after delivering a 7-0 scoring run for the Tropang Giga that ballooned their lead to nine points in the final minute of the game, 100-91.

Aside from his 45-point display, Jefferson also did it all for TNT and stuffed the stat sheets with 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Pogoy, the team’s veteran sniper, added 13 markers while Castro chipped in 12 points, five rebounds, and five assists.

The Road Warriors will aim to level their quarterfinal series today,  in the second game of the scheduled doubleheader.