By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Blackwater Bossing scored another huge victory after trouncing the TNT Tropang Giga, 87-76, to improve their PBA Philippine Cup record to 2-0 on March 2, 2024, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Fresh off a tight win over the Meralco Bolts during their opening campaign, the Blackwater franchise proved they are no fluke after pulling off one of their best starts in their PBA campaign.
To achieve the momentum-boosting victory, the Bossing needed all of their pieces to step up which they did as 11 of their members all entered the scoring column.
Leading the pack was former TNT banger Troy Rosario who top-scored the game with 20 big points derived from a 6/13 shooting from the field including six made free throw shots.
The Bossing immediately went to Rosario as early as the first quarter after the big man power forward converted his first few shots in the shaded lane.
After Rosario got his groove offensively, head coach Jeffrey Cariaso revolved the plays around him and anchored Blackwater’s blazing start.
Despite TNT waking up in the second quarter to snatch away the advantage, the Bossing responded with a sense of urgency and regained the lead until the final buzzer.
Blackwater had its best shooting quarter in the fourth after ballooning its lead to as much as 20 points after a mini-personal scoring run by point guard RK Ilagan.
“It was really a team effort. I don’t use that loosely. Because it really is a necessity when you play against a big team,” said Blackwater head coach Cariaso.
Ilagan backstopped Rosario with an all-around performance of 15 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and a block.
The resurging Christian David also maintained his steady performance for Blackwater and chipped in 13 points built from an efficient 5/7 shooting from the field.
Blackwater will aim for its third straight undefeated start in the Philippine Cup on March 6, 2024, as they take on the Converge FiberXers.
Meanwhile, the Tropang Giga will look to bounce back against the Terrafirma Dyip on March 9, 2024, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
