Red President slam door on Tropang Giga

MANILA, Philippines — Blackwater denied TNT its usual place in the knockout rounds with a 21-19 upset in yesterday’s PBA 3x3 Second Conference Leg 5 pool stage at Robinsons Place Novaliches.

Prince Rivero muscled his way to eight points while Hubert Cani delivered the winning putback as the Red President beat multi-titled TNT for the second quarterfinal berth in Pool D with 1-1.

San Miguel Beer took the No. 1 seeding from the group after posting a 21-15 win over Blackwater and a 21-20 verdict over TNT on a Jeff Manday deuce.

The Beermen snapped a slump of three straight missed quarterfinals while the Tropang Giga, with their uncharacteristic 0-2, didn’t get past the group phase for the first time.