Rondae Hollis-Jefferson nets a conference-high 45 points as TNT turns back NLEX in Game 1 of their best-of-five quarterfinals in the PBA Governors’ Cup
MANILA, Philippines – Rondae Hollis-Jefferson willed his way out of a sluggish start and submitted his finest performance in the PBA Governors’ Cup.
Hollis-Jefferson took over in the second half and finished with a conference-high 45 points as TNT turned back NLEX, 107-102, in Game 1 of their best-of-five quarterfinals at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Wednesday, September 25.
Limited to just 4 points in the first period, Hollis-Jefferson poured 17 points in each of the last two quarters to help the Tropang Giga — who topped Group A with an 8-2 record — overcome a double-digit deficit.
“At the end of the day, it comes down to willpower, having that extra push, that extra gear. At the end of the day, you are going to slow down, so kick it into overdrive,” said Hollis-Jefferson.
“I did not want to force anything. I still tried to be aggressive,” he added. “I still wanted to assert my presence but I did not want to overdo it. It was kind of like trying to find that balance.”
Barely reaching the playoffs as the fourth seed in Group B, the Road Warriors got off to a promising start behind import DeQuan Jones and built a lead that peaked at 49-36 late in the second frame.
That lead, however, slowly vanished as Hollis-Jefferson, who also tallied 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals, hit his stride.
Hollis-Jefferson, the reigning Best Import of the Conference, tied the count at 65-65 then gave TNT its first taste of the upper hand since the opening minutes with a three-point play for a 71-69 lead in the third quarter.
Playing the entire second half, Hollis-Jefferson then scattered 7 points — 5 off free throws — in the final minute to keep NLEX at bay.
Hollis-Jefferson said head coach Chot Reyes’ decision to sideline him in their final elimination-round game paid dividends as the former NBA player got a much-needed breather.
“Just being able to get that rest helped in order to let my body recover, let me do the things that I needed to do to take care of myself so I’m ready to play as many minutes as Chot needs me to play,” Hollis-Jefferson said.
Roger Pogoy supplied 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals in the win, Jayson Castro put up 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals, while Rey Nambatac added 11 points and 3 steals.
Bucking a scoreless first half, Calvin Oftana chimed in 8 points, including 5 straight inside the final two minutes that allowed the Tropang Giga to grab a 100-91 lead.
“Just because often times you see guys not recover when they play a bad first half, but you got to give credit to Chot and our players for believing in Calvin, telling him it is okay,” said Hollis-Jefferson.
“We have those moments where we make mistakes, but just stick with it.”
Jones registered 38 points and 12 rebounds in the loss, which snapped the two-game winning streak the Road Warriors rode to catch the quarterfinal bus.
A day after being recognized by the PBA Press Corps for being the Scoring Champion last season, NLEX star Robert Bolick got contained to just 10 points on a 3-of-8 shooting, although he also had 7 assists and 5 rebounds.
The Scores
TNT 107 – Hollis-Jefferson 45, Pogoy 13, Castr 12, Nambatac 11, Williams 9, Oftana 8, Khobuntin 7, Erram 7, Erram 2, Aurin 0, Exciminiano 0, Heruela 0.
NLEX 102 – Jones 38, Valdez 11, Amer 11, Bolick 10, Rodger 9, Mocon 8, Miranda 7, Semerad 3, Torres 3, Policarpio 2.
Quarters : 24-29, 41-49, 73-71, 107-102.
– Rappler.com
