Tropang Giga take home All-Filipino crown, end 6-year title drought

The Tropang Giga take a photo together with the PBA Philippine Cup championship trophy. PBA Images

By Carl Santiago

MANILA--TNT completed its magical run this conference after holding off Magnolia, 94–79, to cap off the PBA Philippine Cup Finals in five games at Don Honorio Ventura State University in Bacolor, Pampanga.

With the victory, the Tropang Giga clinched their first title since 2015 and their first All-Filipino crown in eight years.

Banking on their prized freshman Mikey Williams all tournament long, the 30-year-old Fil-Am did not disappoint in the title clincher as he finished with 24 points, four rebounds, and four assists, catapulting his Finals MVP award in a runaway fashion. 

RR Pogoy and Jayson Castro contributed 19 and 10 markers, respectively, while Poy Erram was steady on the defensive end as he finished the game with seven points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks.

Ian Sangalang top-scored for the Hotshots with 18 points and nine boards, while Best Player of the Conference winner Calvin Abueva added 14 points and six rebounds, but their backcourt continued their woes on both ends as they couldn’t find a way to neutralize Williams on defense.

The Tropang Giga came out as the clear aggressor, veering away from their usual outside shooting weapon as they scored at will inside the paint for an 11-0 run in the opening period.

Magnolia simply couldn’t find an answer for the rest of the match, as TNT found their groove beyond the arc in the second quarter while the lead ballooned to as much as 25 at 63-88 in the final period.

The Hotshots made a last-ditch effort to mount a comeback, but time was simply not on their side as TNT relied on their endgame defense to sustain the lead, cruising to a 15-point victory to close the tournament in Bacolor on top of the Philippine basketball.

The scores :

TNT 94 – M. Williams 24, Pogoy 19, Castro 10, Rosario 9, Reyes 9, Khobuntin 8, Montalbo 7, Erram 7, K. Williams 1, Heruela 0, Exciminiano 0, Alejandro 0.

MAGNOLIA 79 – Sangalang 18, Abueva 14, Ahanmisi 11, Barroca 10, Lee 7, Dela Rosa 5, Dionisio 5, Reavis 4, Pascual 4, Jalalon 1, Corpuz 0, Melton 0, Brill 0.

Quarters: 21-14, 47-33, 72-53, 94-79

Follow the site on Twitter: @DugoutPH