Long and exciting PBA semis battle

By Robert Andaya

Games Sunday
5 p.m. San Miguel vs. Barangay Ginebra
7:30 p.m. Rain or Shine vs. TNT

One semifinal series is now 2-0.

The other is tied at 1-1.

Whatever, all four teams expect a long and exciting battle in the PBA Governors Cup.

With import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Calvin Oftana leading the charge, TNT brought down Rain or Shine,  108-91, to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven semifinal series.

Hollis-Jefferson came through with 23 points, and  Oftana added  a double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds  for the Chot Reyes-mentored Tropang Giga.

Jhonard Clarito and Aaron Fuller paced Rain or Shine with 18 and 13 points, respectively.    

Terrence Romeo waxed hot as San Miguel tied the series 1-1 with a 131-125 overtime victory against Barangay Ginebra.

Romeo went a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range and 1-of-1 from a four-point play, finishing with 22 of his 26 points in the final frame, with 13 coming in the fourth quarter and nine in overtime.

EJ Anosike tallied 35 points and nine rebounds while CJ Perez added a near triple-double of 28 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the Jorge Gallent- mentored Beermen.

Eight-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo, had another 20-20 game with 23 points, 21 rebounds and six assists in 44 minutes of play while Marcio Lassiter chipped in 12 points.

Resident import Justin Brownlee scored 39 points, but it was not enough to lead the Gin Kings of coach Tim Cone.

Brownlee went 15-of-30 shooting on top of 15 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and four blocks in 50 minutes of action.

Japeth Aguilar added 29 points and eight rebounds while Scottie Thompson had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Maverick Ahanmisi and Stephen Holt contributed with 15 and 14 points, respectively.

In the final five minutes of regulation, Thompson tied the game at 97-97 after Barangay Ginebra had trailed by 11 earlier in the fourth quarter.

Brownlee gave Ginebra a three-point lead with 3:08 left after completing a four-point play, but Romeo grabbed the offensive rebound off Perez’s missed three-point attempt and sank his own triple to cut the deficit to one, 102-103, with 1:16 remaining.

Anosike’s reverse layup gave the Beermen a 104-103 lead with 41 seconds remaining, but Brownlee responded with a contested three-pointer over Anosike, putting Ginebra ahead 106-104 with 35 seconds left.

Perez tied the game with 31 seconds remaining, but Brownlee responded with an acrobatic layup to give Ginebra the lead again with 18 seconds left.

However, Perez made a four-point play on Lassiter’s offensive rebounds to give San Miguel a 110-108 lead, but Ahanmisi was fouled by Romeo and sank two crucial free throws to tie the game.

In overtime, Romeo scored nine straight points to give the Beermen a 121-117 lead with 2:06 remaining in the extra period.

Both teams were engaged in a back-and-forth exchange, but San Miguel held on as Anosike and Jericho Cruz sealed the victory.

The scores;

First game

TNT  (108)—Hollis-Jefferson 23, Oftana 18, Nambatac 17, Aurin 11, Pogoy 8, Galinato 8, Erram 6, Khobuntin 6, Castro 5, Heruela 5, Payawal 1, Ebona 0, Varilla 0, Exciminiano 0

Rain or Shine (91)—Clarito 18, Fuller 13, Caracut 9, Lemetti 9, Belga 9, Norwood 9, Datu 8, Santillan 5, Nocum 3, Villegas 3, Mamuyac 3, Asistio 2, Ildefonso 0

Quarterscores :17-21, 47-44, 85-65, 108-91.

Second game

San Miguel (131)—Anosike 35, Perez 28, Romeo 26, Fajardo 23, Lassiter 12, Cruz 5, Tautuaa 2, Ross 0, Rosales 0, Trollano 0, Enciso 0, Manuel 0.

Ginebra (125)—Brownlee 39, J.Aguilar 29, Thompson 16, Ahanmisi 15, Holt 14, Abarrientos 4, Tenorio 3, Cu 2, Devance 2, Pinto 1, Pessumal 0, Adamos 0.

Quarterscores: 22-24, 51-47, 85-76, 110-110, 131-125