Blackwater just hit two birds with one stone.
The Bossing used a huge fourth quarter run to create enough cushion and turn back TNT, 87-76, for their second straight win in the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
RK Ilagan stepped up big time after starting guard Rey Nambatac went down with a sprained right ankle just five minutes into the game to power Blackwater to its first 2-0 win-loss start since the 2019 Commissioner’s Cup and already surpassed its win total in the previous conference.
The wily guard finished with 15 points capped by a dagger three-pointer that opened a 20-point lead for Blackwater, 85-65, with 5:03 left in the ball game.
“I needed to step up because Kuya Rey might not be able to come back. I just played my role and just did what coach (Jeff Cariaso) want me to do,” Ilagan said of his productive night after going scoreless in the Bossing’s three-point win over Meralco.
Ilagan had seven rebounds and dished out eight assists including a timely setup for Christian David’s easy basket underneath to douse cold water on Tropang Giga’s late run with 2:08 left.
Troy Rosario posted 20 points and grabbed six boards while David had 13 for Blackwater, who forced TNT to commit 16 errors that it converted to 19 turnover points.
James Kwekuteye and Bradwyn Guinto had nine points each while 42-year-old veteran James Yap gave quality minutes with six points he got from a perfect 2-of-2 from the three-point area for the Bossing.
“Tonight was really a team effort. I don’t use that loosely because it really is a necessity and a need when you play against a big team like Talk ‘N Text or Meralco or the San Miguel teams, every team in our league,” Cariaso said.
“There needs to be that sense of purpose and I think what I’m happy tonight was in the first two games the players displayed that.”
Blackwater unleashed a telling 13-0 run while keeping TNT scoreless for a good five minutes in the fourth period to put the game out of hand with a comfortable 20-point lead.
The Tropang Giga did try to make a run behind Calvin Oftana but was easily repelled as they fell to a 1-1 slate.
Oftana led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-18 field goal shooting while Jayson Castro had 12 points as the only TNT players in double figures.
Blackwater rallied from a 24-31 deficit in the second quarter with a closing 15-4 blast to head into halftime with a 39-35 advantage.
