TNT beat Magnolia 91-73 to move one win from semi-finals
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 39 points as the defending champions took a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five quarter-final series.
TNT moved closer to a PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup semi-final berth after defeating Magnolia 91-73 at Ynares Center Antipolo on October 28. The result left the Hotshots facing elimination with a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five quarter-finals.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson finished with 39 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks and two steals for the defending champions. Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser contributed 11 points and three rebounds, while RR Pogoy added 10 points.
Magnolia threatened to recover after trailing 51-42 at half-time. KJ Buffen hit a three-pointer that cut TNT's advantage to 51-49, before Ganuelas-Rosser and Hollis-Jefferson drove a 19-4 response. The pair made four three-pointers during that stretch, putting TNT ahead 70-53.
TNT head coach Chot Reyes credited his players with exploiting the space Magnolia allowed Hollis-Jefferson. He said their response to the defence helped produce the third-quarter surge, while emphasising the importance of remaining calm.
Buffen led Magnolia with 24 points, followed by Lucero with 16 and Lastimosa with 13. The Hotshots now risk a seventh consecutive quarter-final exit. TNT have eliminated them in two of the previous three conferences.
