MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The TNT KaTropa remained in playoff contention with a 101-75 thrashing of the NLEX Road Warriors in the penultimate day of the elimination round of the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena Wednesday, February 28. 

TNT improved to 5-6 to keep its playoff bid alive and stymied the Road Warriors’ 4-game winning streak. 

The KaTropa built a 27-16 first-quarter lead before completely breaking the game wide open as they headed into the break with a comfortable 58-28 cushion thanks to Gilas returnees Jayson Castro, Roger Pogoy and Troy Rosario conjoining for 21 points in the second frame.

It was all TNT since then as the Road Warriors got buried by as much as 38, 31-69, in the 3rd period.

Kelly Williams paced the KaTropa with 17 points, 16 rebounds and 3 steals while new acquisition Jericho Cruz quickly made an impact with 17 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and two steals.

Rosario finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, Castro chipped in 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and Pogoy added 10 points and 4 rebounds in the win. 

“We’ve been struggling offensively this conference and that’s no secret. I think the two-week break really helped us. Today, at least offensively we looked a lot better than in our previous games. We needed a win for us to give ourselves a chance in the playoffs and the only thing we can control is this game,” said TNT head coach Nash Racela. 

TNT shot 47.7% from the field, including 11 triples, against NLEX’ 38% shooting from the field. 

JR Quinahan had 20 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists for NLEX, which dropped to 6-5.

Kevin Alas contributed 14 points and 5 rebounds while Kiefer Ravena had his worst performance so far this season with one point, two assists, one rebound against two turnovers. 

Despite the loss, the Road Warriors are already assured tickets to the playoffs. 

The Scores: 

TNT (101): Williams 17, Cruz 17, Rosario 14, Pogoy 13, Castro 10, Tamsi 7, Garcia 6, Paredes 5, Semerad 3, Reyes 3, Carey 2, Torres 2, Tautuaa 2, Golla 0, Nuyles 0

NLEX (75): Quinahan 20, Alas 14, Al-Hussaini 10, Mallari 5, Monfort 5, Miranda 5, Soyud 4, Tiongson 3, Ighalo 3, Fonacier 3, Taulava 2, Ravena 1, Uyloan 0, Baguio 0 

Quarter scores: 27-16, 58-28, 80-50, 101-75

– Rappler.com