IN THE face of a major uprising by a determined opponent, the TNT Tropang Giga lost two key players in the most crucial part of the game.

Undermanned, under pressure and all, the Tropa didn’t blink, doing just enough to stave off the Rain or Shine Painters for a pulsating 93-91 win in Game 2 of their 49th PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinal series on Friday night, February 28, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

The hard-earned win gave the Tropa a 2-0 lead in the series as they duplicated their tight 88-84 win in Game 1.

TNT looked headed to scoring an easy win when it led by 16 points at one point in the third period, 70-54. Rain or Shine battled back and closed within 75-81 with one quarter left to play.

The Elasto Painters got a major break when TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson fouled out with still 5:36 left and Jayson Castro leaving the tighly contested match due to a knee injury in the final 3:07.

Rain or Shine’s comeback was aided by TNT’s endgame struggle that saw them failing to score in the final 6:22.

Still, the Elasto Painters couldn’t capitalize as they bungled several opportunities to further come closer.

Rain or Shine had the chance to force overtime but Adrian Nocum missed a baseline jumper at the buzzer, sealing TNT’s great escape.

Hollis-Jefferson topped TNT with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Castro chipped in 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists.

Deon Thompson led Rain or Shine with 22 points and 14 rebounds while Nocum had 19 markers.

THE SCORES:

TNT (93) - Hollis-Jefferson 28, Castro 13, Erram 11, Pogoy 10, Aurin 10, Williams 8, Oftana 7, Nambatac 3, Khobuntin 3.

RAIN OR SHINE (91) - Thompson 22, Nocum 19, Mamuyac 11, Tiongson 10, Clarito 9, Caracut 7, Datu 7, Santillan 6, Asistio 0, Belga 0.

QUARTERSCORES: 24-24, 54-44, 81-75, 93-91.(CCM)

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• #49th PBA Philippine Cup
• #Basketball
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