Rondae Hollis-Jefferson catches fire in 2nd half to lead TNT to win vs NLEX in PBA Govs' Cup QF opener

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson waxed hot in the second half to help TNT steal the Game 1 win from NLEX. PBA Images

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was a force to reckon with in the second half as TNT pounced on NLEX's turnovers especially in the last 24 minutes to take a 107-102 win at the start of the PBA Governors' Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Hollis-Jefferson fired 34 of his 45 points in the second half as the Tropang Giga, which entered the playoffs last in points per game, also caught fire as a team in the last two quarters, outscoring the Road Warriors, 66-53.

"I'm really good at live-action seeing, how things are going, and I didn't want to force anything. I still try to be aggressive," said Hollis-Jefferson, who also had 10 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.

RR Pogoy added 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, and four steals as TNT went 1-0 up against NLEX in their best-of-five series.

DeQuan Jones led the Road Warriors with 38 points, 12 rebounds, one assist, and one steal, but he had five of their 25 total errors.

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