TNT shakes off sluggish start to edge Meralco in Game 3

By: Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

It took a team effort and a tough clutch mindset for TNT Katropa to pull-off one of their best comeback wins of the 2019 PBA Governor’s Cup against a tough Meralco Bolts squad, 101-97, in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinals.

TNT struggled to keep up with the Bolts’ firepower early on as locals Baser Amer and Chris Newsome torched TNT by themselves, answering every TNT run.

It did not take long for Meralco’s super import Allen “The Bull” Durham to heat up early as he attacked the basket at will once again, reminiscent of his Game 2 performance.

Meralco led the first half, 52-41, but the veteran and hungry TNT squad began to break out of their shell at the start of the third period.

It took valiant scoring and defensive efforts from KJ McDaniels, Troy Rosario, Jayson Castro, and RR Pogoy to contain Meralco’s early onslaught and that helped them get back into the game.

Down 88-91 with 3:28 remaining in the final frame, Rosario drained the equalizing trey that boosted their momentum heading into the clutch minutes of the game.

TNT then came surging in the final two minutes with timely decision-making and defensive tenacity.