The final score was 85-80 in favor of TNT, with RR Pogoy hitting a total of 20 points; three of those points during the most crucial part of the game where the margin between the teams was only at two points, TNT head coach Bong Ravena reported that they “expected he will make that shot.”
He said in Filipino, “That’s what we practiced, that’s the design. The players know that we were expecting them to hit that shot. As long as you stick to the plan, trust in the process, that’s what we instilled in them. Pogoy’s three-pointer put up TNT at 82-77 with only 43.7 seconds left in the game.
During the third quarter, NLEX’s head coach Yeng Guiao was ejected with 4:22 minutes left due to a second violation of a technical foul. His players wanted to redeem themselves for their coach, catching up from being 14 points down. New Road Warrior Poy Erram contributed 19 points along with Bong Galanza, while Philip Paniamogan also provided 10. However, it was not enough to put them in the lead during the second half of the game. After the game, Guiao still stood by the fact that he believes the game had lapses in officiating, the legendary coach stating, “They’re missing the obvious. I cannot understand that. There is something wrong with that.”
According to Coach Bong, “Both teams played well,” adding, “We’re not doing anything different except for getting better. That’s our only target. We don’t mind the result, as long as we sustain what we try to get them to do.”
The Guiao led squad will have a chance to redeem themselves on Sunday, January 27, as they face Columbian Dyip at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. On the other hand, TNT will try to go two-for-two on the same day, as they face the San Miguel Beermen.