TNT Tropang GIGA star Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in action against the San Miguel Beermen in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup. Photo from PBA Images.MANILA — The TNT Tropang GIGA dismantled the San Miguel Beermen to push the defending champions on the brink of elimination in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup.

The Chot Reyes-mentored team was hitting on all cylinders en route to their 115-97 statement victory, Sunday evening at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, Rizal.

“You never know what will really happen, so the best you can do is give ourselves a shot. There are no guarantees, but the important thing is we give ourselves a shot,” said Reyes after the game, pointing out how they are poised to enter the quarterfinals with a twice-to-beat advantage.

TNT moved up to 8-3 in the team standings, and they are also currently sitting at the solo No.2 spot next to the top-seeded, 9-3 NorthPort Batang Pier.

On the other hand, San Miguel fell to 5-7, currently in the 10th spot, and a win by either the Magnolia Hotshots or the NLEX Road Warriors in their respective next outings will mean that the Beermen will not advance into the playoffs.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was all over the place, delivering a 35-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, and also providing firepower were RR Pogoy and Calvin Oftana who finished with 22 and 16 points, respectively, while also hitting four three-pointers each.

Also starring for TNT were Jayson Castro and Poy Erram, as the two veterans each tallied 14 points.

The Beermen previously erased a double-digit deficit in the first half and were only trailing by seven at halftime, 56-49, but the Tropang GIGA had other plans in the second half, especially in the third period wherein they pulled away from their counterparts.

TNT was able to keep their distance in the third all thanks to the efforts of Oftana and Pogoy, but it was Erram and Castro who ended the frame in style, as a flurry of baskets from the duo extended their lead to 17, 87-70, just before the 36th minute concluded.

Unfortunately for Leo Austria’s troops, this turned out to be enough cushion for TNT to fend them off, and adding to the Beermen’s woes was how they struggled to make shots in the fourth period as they only made six of their 14 attempts.

Also not helping their cause was their import Malik Pope who continued his struggles, putting only 10 points on 5-15 shooting.

In contrast, the Tropang GIGA went berserk from long range, with Pogoy and Oftana hitting two three-pointers in the final two minutes, and what capped this off was a four-pointer from RHJ at the 1:29 mark to push their lead to 20, 115-95.

TNT as a team drained 14 of their 35 shots from the three-point area, and they also made 2 of their attempts from four-point range.

The Tropang GIGA will conclude their elimination round campaign on Friday, January 31, against the Rain or Shine ElastoPainters. The Beermen, on the other hand, will hope for NLEX and Magnolia to lose their respective games against Hong Kong Eastern and the Meralco Bolts.

The Scores:

TNT 115 – Hollis-Jefferson 35, Pogoy 22, Oftana 16, Castro 14, Erram 14, Nambatac 6, Williams 6, Galinato 2, Heruela 0, Khobuntin 0, Razon 0, Exciminiano 0.

San Miguel 97 – Fajardo 34, Trollano 13, Pope 10, Tautuaa 10, Lassiter 9, Perez 9, Cruz 6, Ross 3, Tiongson 3, Cahilig 0, Rosales 0.

Quarterscores: 31-19, 56-49, 87-70, 115-97.