TNT got off on the right foot in the PBA Philippine Cup after holding off the new-look Terrafirma in an 86-79 victory at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City on Saturday, July 17.

Jayson Castro delivered 17 points to lead four Tropang Giga players in double figures and added 5 rebounds and 4 assists as they averted a late comeback surge from the Dyip.

Terrafirma cut its deficit to 5 points with two minutes left off 4 straight Juami Tiongson points, 79-84, but that was the closest it could get as the team missed all of its last three field goals.

Poy Erram, who backstopped Castro with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks, sealed the win with a layup with 20 ticks left.

“Obviously, we’re happy we won, but we’re kind of disappointed with the way we played in the last quarter and a half of this game,” said returning TNT head coach Chot Reyes.

“I thought we were not faithful to how we wanted to play this game.”

Troy Rosario also churned out a double-double for the Tropang Giga with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Roger Pogoy chimed in 10 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds.

Dave Marcelo made his presence felt in the win with 9 points, and Kelly Williams – who temporarily retired from the PBA – added 7 points and 5 rebounds in his hardcourt return.

TNT missed the services of prized rookie Mikey Williams, who is still undergoing mandatory quarantine after arriving from the United States.

The game marked a new era for the Dyip, who traded two-time scoring champion CJ Perez to San Miguel and selected Joshua Munzon as the No. 1 overall pick in the recent PBA Draft.

Munzon, though, struggled in his PBA debut as he put up 6 points on a 3-of-15 shooting to go with 3 rebounds.

Aldrech Ramos led Terrafirma with 17 points, while Rashawn McCarthy contributed 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in the loss.

Dyip rookie James Laput had a respectable debut with 6 points and 9 rebounds.

The Scores

TNT 86 – Castro 17, Erram 15, Rosario 14, Pogoy 10, Marcelo 9, Williams 7, Khobuntin 6, Reyes 5, Montalbo 3, Exciminiano 0, Heruela 0, Alejandro 0, Washington 0, Javier 0, Mendoza 0

Terrafirma 79 – Ramos 15, McCarthy 13, Cahilig 12, Tiongson 10, Adams 7, Laput 6, Munzon 6, Alolino 2, Gabayni 2, Ganuelas-Rosser 2, Balagasay 2 Calvo 0, Camson 0, Batiller 0, Celda 0.

Quarters: 17-20, 45-33, 71-59, 86-79.

– Rappler.com