TNT win every quarter and rout top seed Magnolia 92-70 in Game 1, with 26 from Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

Magnolia came into the quarterfinals as the top seed in Group B, on a six-game winning streak. TNT, fourth in Group A, won every quarter against them. The Tropang 5G beat the Hotshots 92-70 in Game 1 of their best-of-five series on Sunday night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, and the lead reached 25 along the way.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led TNT with 26 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals. It came less than two weeks after TNT activated him on October 12, 10 months after he ruptured his Achilles.

"I feel like I haven't played in a while. They're the No. 1 defensive team, and that's something we talked heavily about," Hollis-Jefferson said.

NLEX beat Phoenix 97-92 in the other Game 1 at the Ynares Center on Sunday.

TNT 92, Magnolia 70

Every quarter. TNT took the first quarter 19-15 and the second 23-18 for a 42-33 halftime lead. They won the third 26-18 to go up 68-51, and the fourth 24-19.

The support. Calvin Oftana scored 13. Roger Pogoy and Rey Nambatac had 12 each, and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser added 11.

Magnolia. KJ Buffen led the Hotshots with 18 points and Zavier Lucero scored 14. Mark Barroca had 11.

"What was commendable tonight was the players' attention to detail, their awareness and communication on defense," TNT coach Chot Reyes said.

"We have to be ready for whatever adjustments they will make in the next game," he said.

How they got here

Magnolia finished the group stage 7-3. They clinched first place in Group B on October 21 by beating Rain or Shine 107-103, their sixth win in a row, and that put them against the fourth team from Group A.

That team was TNT. The Tropang 5G finished 7-5, behind NLEX, San Miguel and Converge, after losing their last group game to Converge 114-112 in overtime on October 18. They are also the defending champions. TNT have won the last two Governors' Cups, both with Hollis-Jefferson as their import, and he is a three-time Best Import.

The two teams have met in the playoffs before this season. In the Philippine Cup quarterfinals on December 27, 2025, TNT held the twice-to-beat edge and beat Magnolia 118-109 to end that series in one game. This time there is no edge for either side. The Governors' Cup quarterfinals are best-of-five, and Magnolia have at least two more games to answer.

Scoring

Scoring: TNT 92-70 Magnolia (Sunday)

TNT: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 26, Calvin Oftana 13, Roger Pogoy 12, Rey Nambatac 12, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser 11, Henry Galinato 6, Jordan Heading 6, Jayson Castro 2, Jio Jalalon 2, Glenn Khobuntin 2, Poy Erram 0, Kim Aurin 0, Sean Quitevis 0.

Magnolia: KJ Buffen 18, Zavier Lucero 14, Mark Barroca 11, Ian Sangalang 8, Jerom Lastimosa 6, Chris Koon 6, Peter Alfaro 4, Rome dela Rosa 2, Javi Gomez de Liano 1, Clifford Jopia 0, Yukien Andrada 0, James Laput 0.

By quarter: TNT 19, 23, 26, 24. Magnolia 15, 18, 18, 19.

What is next

Game 2 is on Wednesday, October 28, at the Ynares Center. A TNT win would put the defending champions one game from the semifinals. A Magnolia win would tie the series at 1-1.

The other quarterfinals are NLEX against Phoenix, with NLEX up 1-0, Rain or Shine against Converge, and San Miguel against Barangay Ginebra.