Coach Chot Reyes could not sink his putts on the golf course in the morning—but hours later, Rey Nambatac buried the biggest shot of the night.
Nambatac drilled a cold-blooded three-pointer at the final buzzer to complete TNT’s stunning comeback from 17 points down, lifting the Tropang 5G to a thrilling 110-107 victory over the Converge FiberXers in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
“I kept missing putts this morning,” Reyes joked. “I was just hoping my players would make their shots tonight.”
They certainly did when it mattered most.
Nambatac exploded for 30 points and capped his heroic performance with the game-winning triple, helping the injury-hit Tropang 5G snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 2-2.
The defeat sent Converge to its second straight setback and a 3-2 record despite leading by as many as 17 points.
TNT entered the game without key veterans Calvin Oftana, Jayson Castro, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Kelly Williams. The situation became even more difficult when Jordan Heading and Henry Galinato were unable to finish the contest.
But instead of collapsing, the depleted Tropang 5G refused to quit.
“We could’ve folded when they left us behind off the bat. We could’ve folded when we lost Jordan Heading. We could’ve folded when we lost Galinato,” Reyes said.
Heading finished with 20 points before exiting, while Galinato contributed 12. Import Darius Days struggled offensively, scoring only 10 points on 4-of-19 shooting, but delivered crucial hustle plays during TNT’s furious late rally.
Converge appeared in control early behind returning import Jamaal Franklin, Justine Baltazar and Mikey Williams. The FiberXers raced to a 33-25 opening-quarter lead and rebuilt a double-digit advantage in the third period.
TNT, however, kept clawing back.
The Tropang 5G trimmed the deficit to three at halftime, 54-51, before Converge pulled away again and carried an 80-71 lead into the fourth quarter.
That was when TNT’s comeback machine shifted into full gear.
The Tropa tightened their defense, attacked with urgency and slowly erased the FiberXers’ cushion. With the game tied and the final seconds ticking away, Nambatac took matters into his own hands.
His buzzer-beating bomb sent the TNT bench into celebration and left Converge stunned.
Franklin scored 30 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out two assists in his return to the PBA, but his six turnovers proved costly. Baltazar delivered 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Williams added 17 points and knocked down three four-pointers.
For TNT, however, the night belonged to Nambatac—and to a battered squad that simply refused to surrender.
Reyes may have missed his putts, but his Tropang 5G hit the shot that counted most.
The scores:
TNT 110 — Nambatac 30, Heading 20, Galinato 12, Days 10, Jalalon 9, Ferrer 9, Quitevis 6, Pogoy 5, Khobuntin 4, Varilla 3, Aurin 2, Hill 0, Enciso 0.
Converge 107 — Franklin 30, Baltazar 21, Williams 17, Arana 11, Gomez de Liano 8, Garcia 6, Abueva 6, Concepcion 3, Tungcab 3, Stockton 2, Policarpio 0.
Quarter scores: 25-33, 51-54, 71-80, 110-107.