TNT's Rey Nambatac in action. PBA ImagesMANILA — Rey Nambatac beat the buzzer to power TNT past Converge, 110-107, in the PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup on Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Racing against time, the Letran product found the shot he needed against over Alec Stockton — a three-pointer while falling away, releasing just in time just before the fourth-quarter buzzer sounded.
But before that, Jamaal Franklin tied the ballgame at 107-apiece, after completing his trip to the foul line, converting four free throws with 9.1 ticks.
TNT actually found the 107-104 edge after a Nambatac trey on the wing, punishing Mikey Williams' botched layup attempt on the other end.
"I thought, tonight, it was definitely a gutsy, character win," said TNT head coach Chot Reyes during the postgame press conference.
It was Nambatac's way of stepping up as several TNT players including Jayson Castro and Calvin Oftana were out due to injuries.
Nambatac finished with 30 points and four assists, while Jordan Heading added 20 points before also heading out because of an injury.
For their part, Franklin had a total of 30 points, while Justine Baltazar had 21 markers and 11 rebounds, but Converge still could not complete the win despite being up 17 points in the game.
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
QUARTERS: 25-33, 51-54, 71-80, 110-107
