EVEN after winning the first game of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-seven title series, TNT Tropang Giga import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson knows very well the battle is far from over.

The 6-6 native of Chester, Pennsylvania is now hoping for a fitting follow-up win and keep their advantage against perennial rival Barangay Ginebra in Game 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

“We got Game 1 and now it’s about focusing on the next game and doing what we have to do to be better, to not let the lead drop, to not let our mental lapses take over the game. So it’s about getting better,”said Hollis-Jefferson when asked about the team’s plan against the Kings.

“I’ll say the good thing about it is it’s two-sided. We’re thinking the same way. We want to win every game, we want to compete at the highest level. If we were in their situation (trailing big), I’m pretty sure our guys would fight back,” the 30-year-old Hollis-Jefferson was quoted as saying.

“At the end of the day, you want to be able to believe in your guys to never give up and to keep going until the end of the game.”

A two-time PBA champion, Hollis-Jefferson was his usual deadly self to lead the Tropang Giga to victory over the Kings in the series opener in front of a crowd of 11,802.

The do-it-all TNT import finished with 34 points on 14-of-29 shooting from the field, d 13 rebounds, and eight assists while playing the entire game for TNT coach Chot Reyes.

. But it was not all Hollis-Jefferson.

RR Pogoy added 15 points all on from the three-point territory while Calvin Oftana and Rey Nambatac contributed 10 points each.

Oftana also had nine rebounds and four assists.

Kelly Williams and Glenn Khobuntin also stepped up when needed and contributed eight points apiece.

Former PBA Best Import awardee Justin Brownlee carried the fight for the Gin Kings of coach Tim Cone with 28 points on 11-of-25 shooting, 15 rebounds and six assists in 44 minutes of action.

Scottie Thompson added 17 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists while RJ Abarrientos contributed 13 points and four rebounds.

Stephen Holt and Japeth Aguilar also added nine points each while Troy Rosario chipped in eight points.

“It’s not what we wanted but we’ll deal with it and we’ll move forward,” said Cone .

Despite playing minus vegteran guard Jayson Castro, the Tropang Giga started strong.

With Hollis-Jefferson dominating inside and Pogoy hitting from from beyond the arc, the Tropang Giga surged to a commanding 55-39 halftime lead.

The Gin Kings made things interesting in the second half, even threatening to within four points.

But two pressure-packed free throws by Hollis-Jefferson sealed the victory with 2.2 seconds remaining.

Overall, the Tropang Giga shot 37.8 percent from beyond the arc, hitting 14-of-37 attempts, while the Gin Kings managed just 25.0 percent , making 7-of-28.

The scores:

TNT (95) — Hollis-Jefferson 34, Pogoy 15, Oftana 10, Nambatac 10, Williams 8, Khobuntin 8, Erram 5, Aurin 5, Heruela 0, Razon 0.
Barangay Ginebra (89) – Brownlee 28, Thompson 17, Abarrientos 13, Holt 9, J. Aguilar 9, Rosario 8, Gray 3, Malonzo 2, Ahanmisi 0.
Quarterscores: 29-18, 55-39, 80-66, 95-89.

The results:
Game 1 — TNT 95, Ginebra 89.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Robert Andaya