Hollis-Jefferson scores 45 as Tropang Giga edge Road Warriors in series opener

MANILA, Philippines -- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 34 of his 45 points in the second half to tow the TNT Tropang Giga over the NLEX Road Warriors, 107-102, to draw first blood in their PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinal series at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila Wednesday.

Hollis-Jefferson shot 13-of-25 from the field, while hauling down 10 rebounds and dishing out seven assists.

The Tropang Giga trailed by five points, 75-80, with 9:09 remaining in the game after a jumper by Baser Amer.

Hollis-Jefferson and Glenn Khobuntin then teamed up and unleashed 11 straight points to overtake the Road Warriors, 86-80, with less than six minutes remaining.

NLEX cut the lead to two, 91-93, with 2:47 left, but a pair of Hollis-Jefferson free throws and back-to-back triples by Calvin Oftana pushed the advantage to nine, 100-91, with 1:30 to go.

The Road Warriors tried to go back with timely shots by DeQuan Jones and Robert Blick, but Hollis-Jefferson’s free throws down the stretch secured the 1-0 lead in the best-of-five quarterfinal series.

TNT trailed by as much as 13 points, 46-59, after an and-one play by Robert Bolick in the third quarter.

The defending champions though tied it up at 65-all with a 19-6 run capped by a Hollis-Jefferson layup.

After four straight points by Jones, Hollis-Jefferson and Castro strung together points to finally grab the lead, 71-69, heading into the fourth.

RR Pogoy added 13 points for TNT, while Jayson Castro added 12. Rey Nambatac produced 11 markers but had a +- of -10.

Jones led the Road Warriors with 38 points and 12 rebounds. Enoch Valdez and Baser Amer added 11 each.

TNT will try to inch closer to the semifinals as the two squads face each other on Friday at the Sta. Rosa Multi-Purpose Complex in Laguna.