The TNT Tropang Giga bounces back after a two-game skid with a drubbing of San Miguel Beermen, 96-81, in the PBA Governor's Cup on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Sensational rookie Mikey Williams exploded with a 30-point outing, inflicting most of the damage in the second half, while Aaron Fuller had a superb double-double performance of 22 points and 26 rebounds, along with six blocks for the triumphant Tropang Giga.
San Miguel held a close lead most of the first half, but rival TNT delievred a strong offensive in the final periods.
After another tight third canto wherein the Tropang Giga finally got the upperhand, Williams steered his team to a rampaging attack that saw the squad scoring 31 points in the final quarter.
The Los Angeles-born guard scored 25 of his 30 points in the second half, as TNT improved their slate to 3-4.
The 2021 Philippine Cup champions even led by as high as 18 in the final minutes.
TNT head coach Chot Reyes credited the team's concerted defensive effort in defeating their corporate rival.
"We didn't score any more in this game than we did in the previous two games, and yet we lost the previous two games. It means we just played terrible defense the past two games. In this game, we just really put full focus on our defense and we were able to limit the other team," said Reyes.
Tropang Giga shot 44% compared to the Beermen's 35% shooting, while grabbing more rebounds (52-48) and edging the latter in blocks (7-2).
Six-time PBA Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo notched 22 points and 14 rebounds while flashy guard Terrence Romeo added 18 markers for the Beermen, which now sport a 3-3 record.
The Scores:
TNT 96 – M. Williams 30, Fuller 22, Rosario 9, Montalbo 8, K. Williams 8, Castro 6, Banal 4, Erram 4, Reyes 3, Khobuntin 2, Heruela 0
San Miguel 81 – Fajardo 22, Romeo 18, Manuel 15, Johnson 12, Perez 6, Tautuaa 5, Lassiter 3, Brondial 0, Ross 0, Enciso 0
Quarterscores: 22-24, 40-40, 65-59, 96-81
