REIGNING Philippine Cup kingpin TnT Tropang Giga added another feather to their cap, winning the opening leg of the PBA 3x3 Lakas ng Tatlo Sunday night at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City
Picking up from where they left off in the last 5-on-5 conference, TnT's Almond Vosotros, Jeremiah Gray, Lervin Flores and Samboy de Leon went on an unbeaten run from pool action all the way to the finale, where they beat Meralco, 21-18.
Gray fired 11 points, including back-to-back two-point shots that put the Tropang Giga on the hill, to set the tone for coronation as first leg champion.
The triumphant Tropang Giga handed pioneering lady coach Mau Belen a winning debut in the pro league, too.
"It was tough," said Belen after her wards won all their seven assignments in the first salvo of the PBA's three-a-side competition and won the P100,000 leg champion's purse.
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"Never did we imagine that we would win it all or never lose a game. We only had two or three weeks to train together and one week with Jeremiah so there's nothing really to expect. But the boys just gave it their all," she added.
Meralco's Tonino Gonzaga, Alfred Batino, Dexter Maiquez, Joseph Sedurifa, who bungled all their chances to steal it in the nervy finish, settled for leg runner-up honors and P50,000.
Meanwhile, Purefoods TJ Titans' Pao Javelona, Val Acuna, Jed Mendoza and Joseph Eriobu took third place honors after beating Platinum Karaoke' Karl Dehesa, Chris de Chavez, JR Alabanza and Yutien Andrada, 21-16.
The Titans earned P30,000 for their podium finish.
PBA 3x3 chairman Richard Bachmann of Alaska, Commissioner Willie Marcial, Tournament Director Joey Guanio and SBP's Ronnie Magsanoc presented the award to the Top 3 teams.
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TNT was a cut above the rest in the competition. The Tropang Giga swept their four assignments in Pool A before stamping their class on Barangay Ginebra in the quarterfinals, 21-14, and Purefoods in the semifinals, 20-16.
For their part, the Patrick Fran-coached Bolts brought the broom in Pool B, 3-0, before edging the Cavitex Braves in the quarters, 22-19, then pulling the rug from under favored Platinum in the semis, 18-14.
Platinum made it to the Final Four after squeaking past San Miguel Beer in a low-scoring quarterfinals, 9-8. Purefoods got its semis seat on the strength of a 20-19 thriller over Terrafirma.
The Gin Kings, who finished third in Pool B, earlier booked the eighth and last quarterfinals seat via a 21-16 victory over Pool C No. 3 NorthPort.
Action in the PBA 3x3 continues on Wednesday and Thursday with the second leg. (OL)
The scores:
Third place
Purefoods (22) - Eriobu 8, Javelona 7, Mendoza 7, Acuna 0.
Platinum Karaoke (16) - De Chavez 10, Andrada 4, Dehesa 1, Alabanza 1.
Finals
TNT (21) - Gray 11, De Leon 4, Flores 3, Vosotros 3.
Meralco (18) - Gonzaga 8, Sedurifa 7, Maiquez 2, Batino 1.
