By defeating Meralco, 107-92, in their semifinal series on Friday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, TNT set up a highly anticipated title matchup with Barangay Ginebra in the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup.

As a result of their contributions to the Game Four triumph, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Calvin Oftana, and Mikey Williams helped top-seeded TNT win the best-of-five series by a score of 3-1 and secure a spot in the championship round against Barangay Ginebra.

For the Tropang Giga, who defeated the Bolts in four games of the best-of-five semifinals, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson exploded for a conference-high 42 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Hollis-Jefferson outscored his previous tournament high of 40 points in their 99-80 rout in Game 3, and he added 13 fourth-quarter points in Game 4 as TNT stopped Meralco from forcing a decider.

With seven of his 17 points coming in the fourth quarter, Mikey Williams also came through for the Bolts, finishing a huge four-point play with just over two minutes left to give the team a 103-92 advantage and end the game.

Jojo Lastimosa, the TNT coach, will now compete against Tim Cone, the Ginebra coach now and his former boss at Alaska, in this series.

They are aware of the urgency with which they must respond to the call. They are mindful that Mikey Williams is not the only person who is due. It was Calvin tonight. It was somewhat picked up by Roger (Pogoy). There was Jayson Castro. Lastimosa stated, they needed everybody to come up.

After making five of his seven three-pointers and scoring all 21 of his points in the first half, Calvin Oftana set the tone for the victory. Roger Pogoy contributed 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists.

After playing Ginebra in four of the previous five Governors’ Cup championship series, Meralco lost for the second time in a row, squandering the opportunity to advance to the finals.

A crucial third-quarter run that helped TNT establish a couple of clutch baskets by Hollis-Jefferson, who finished with 42 points and 11 rebounds, sparked a sizable lead.

Oftana chipped in with 21 points and 5-of-7 three-point shooting, all of which came in the first half as TNT led 53-49 at the break before dominating in the second.

KJ McDaniels led the Bolts, who led in the first half but were unable to pull away in the second. He finished with 37 points and 12 rebounds.

Since the 2020 Philippine Cup, when Ginebra defeated TNT 4-1 to win the title, this would be the first finals encounter between the two dominant teams.

The Scores

TNT 107 – Hollis-Jefferson 42, Oftana 21, M. Williams 17, Pogoy 16, Castro 9, Erram 2, Chua 0, Varilla 0, Tungcab 0, Khobuntin 0, Montalbo 0.

Meralco 92 – McDaniels 37, Black 19, Banchero 11, Newsome 11, Quinto 7, Almazan 4, Caram 0, Jose 0, Hodge 2, Maliksi 1.

Quarter scores: 22-22; 53-49; 83-75; 107-92

Up Next

On Easter Sunday, April 9, Game 1 of the best-of-seven finals series will take place at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.