_2025_01_22_19_42_07.jpg)
5 hours Ago
Mark Nonoy went near-perfect from beyond the arcs, enabling Terrafirma to pull off a massive 117-108 upset win against erstwhile streaking TNT and close out its PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup on a high note on Wednesday. The rookie guard erupted for a career-high 33 points, highlighted by a 2-of-3 shooting from the four-point area and an impressive 5-of-6 from the three-point range, while also grabbing with four rebounds, four assists, and a steal as the Dyip broke through for a 1-11 card. TNT absorbed their third loss of the conference, snapping a six-game winning streak to go 6-3.
"Pinagkatiwalaan ko lang sila, 'yung strengths nila alam naman namin. We made our shots kanina kaya siguro maganda rin 'yung nilaro namin," said Terrafirma head coach Raymund Tiongco. "From the outside we're good pati 'yung inside plays namin.
" It was a different Terrafirma all game long, putting together 61 points at the half thanks to steady shooting from big man Louie Sangalang, import Brandon Walton-Edwards, and Nonoy. They then put up a masterclass in the third period with eight triples, including the back-to-back three-pointers from Sangalang and Nonoy that made it a 95-69 cushion. Nonoy also beat the third quarter buzzer, knocking down a tough four-point shot over Rey Nambatac as they cruised to a 99-69 advantage.
TNT, surprisingly, was 0-of-6 from downtown in that period. The Tropang Giga, though, tried to crawl back from that hole with veterans RR Pogoy and Jayson Castro leading the fightback. Castro fired a triple to cap off a 19-3 blitz that saw them trailing by just 13 in the final 3:21, 99-112.
Leaving nothing to chance, Tiongco decided to bring back Nonoy to the game amid the TNT rally and the latter delivered right away, nailing a triple for a 115-99 lead en route to the win. As a team, Terrafirma made 14 triples while TNT only converted eight — a disparity that made the win possible for the also-ran Dyip against the playoff-bound Tropang Giga. —JKC, GMA Integrated News.
