Games today:
(Mall of Asia Arena)
4 :30 p.m. – Alaska vs. NLEX
7:30 p.m. – Ginebra vs. Rain or Shine
TNT KaTropa emerged victorious in their playoff for the last quarterfinal slot, eliminating the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 119-97, yesterday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
TNT, thus, took the eighth spot and will face the top-seeded and defending champion San Miguel Beer in the next round.
Their quarterfinal game will start on Wednesday with the Beermen holding a twice-to-beat advantage.
Troy Rosario led the KaTropa with 18 points while new recruit Jericho Cruz added 17.
Veteran playmaker Jayson Castro also had 17 for TNT and keyed a huge 9-0 run at the start of the third that broke the game wide open.
He added eight rebounds and nine assists.
Matthew Wright had 18 points for Phoenix, which actually had a strong start in the game.
The Fuel Masters held a 21-15 lead in the opening canto and was only trailing by two, 25-27, going into the second period.
TNT tried to pull away in the second behind Rosario’s hot shooting but Phoenix still held on and only trailed by five, 49-54, at the halftime break.
Castro took over at the start of the third and Cruz helped out as TNT built a 96-74 lead going into the fourth canto.
The lead ballooned to as many as 29 points in the final frame as the KaTropa held on to score the lopsided win.