Oftana keys Tropang Giga squeaker past Elasto Painters

MANILA, Philippines -- Calvin Oftana took over in the fourth quarter and towed TNT past Rain or Shine from 10 points down to win, 108-107, in their first game in the PBA Philippine Cup Wednesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Oftana scored 10 of his 23 points in the final quarter as he made timely baskets to secure the victory.

Rain or Shine led by five points, 104-99, with a layup by Santi Santillan with 3:42 remaining in the game.

Newly traded Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser then answered with a layup to cut the lead to three, 104-101.

This gave the Tropang Giga a momentum boost, as this triggered a 9-0 run.

The blitz was capped by a 3-pointer and a layup off a backdoor cut by Oftana, as the lead grew to four, 108-104, with 50 seconds remaining.

On the other end, Andrei Caracut was fouled. He missed his first and made his second, cutting the lead to three, 108-105.

Jayson Castro then missed a dagger trey, opening a window of opportunity for Rain or Shine.

And with the time winding down, Jhonard Clarito drove to the basket, and attempted and made a layup. But there were just two seconds left in the game.

Castro received the inbound and used his speed to dribble out the time.

The win gave returning TNT head coach Chot Reyes his first win in the PBA since taking a break from the team last year.

In the offseason, Reyes returned to the bench, replacing team manager Jojo Lastimosa.

Oftana, for his part, also had 14 rebounds, three assists and a steal.

RR Pogoy and Kim Aurin also provided plenty of offensive support to the sweet-shooting forward, finishing with 22 and 21 points, respectively.

Adrian Nocum and Santi Santillan, meanwhile, scattered 20 points each for Rain or Shine.