Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s late-game heroics propelled the TNT Tropang Giga to a thrilling 81-79 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Wednesday, taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the 49th PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals.
With the game tied at 79 and just seconds remaining, Hollis-Jefferson made a decisive dunk, followed by a crucial steal that secured TNT’s victory at the SMART Araneta Coliseum. The 29-year-old forward delivered an outstanding performance, tallying 23 points and 19 rebounds, pushing his team to within one win of a finals berth.
“We never felt the momentum going our way. We just kept grinding,” said TNT coach Chot Reyes, acknowledging the hard-fought battle.
The game was deadlocked in the final 45 seconds after Rain or Shine’s Leo Santillan completed a three-point play to make it 79-all. Hollis-Jefferson’s pivotal dunk with 37 seconds left shifted the lead back to TNT. Rain or Shine had a chance to regain the lead, but Andrei Caracut missed a critical four-point play attempt with 10 seconds remaining.
Hollis-Jefferson’s steal on the next play allowed TNT to maintain possession and run out the clock, sealing the victory.
For Rain or Shine, Aaron Fuller led with 22 points and 14 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Tropang Giga from bouncing back after a heartbreaking 109-110 loss in Game 3.
Tropang Giga will now aim to close out the series in Game 5 on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, where a win would secure them a spot in the finals.
