MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATED) TNT KaTropa waxed hot from beyond the arc to demolish the Meralco Bolts, 99-81, and notch their second consecutive victory in the 2017-18 PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.

The KaTropa fired 18 three-pointers – the most by any team in the league so far in the conference – to claim the comfortable win and improve to 3-2.

One day after celebrating his 26th birthday, Troy Rosario scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead TNT. He knocked down six of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc to fuel the KaTropa's offensive charge.

Five other players scored in double-digits for TNT, with RR Garcia contributing 18 points and eight assists. The KaTropa won back-to-back games for the first time in the entire conference, after alternating wins and losses in their first four assignments.

"We knew going to this game that Meralco was undermanned," TNT head coach Nash Racela said of the Bolts, who were still playing without Ranidel de Ocampo and Cliff Hodge. "Ang mentality namin was to take advantage of that, and today from start to end, we were able to do that."

"The intensity level was consistent," he added. "Siguro, medyo bumababa ng kaunti, but kaunting-kaunti lang."

The Bolts skidded to their third loss in a row and dropped to 1-3. Their lone win of the conference was in their first game against Blackwater.

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Meralco opened the game with a free throw by Jason Ballesteros, but it turned out to be their lone lead of the game. TNT scored the next 13 points of the contest, and the KaTropa never looked back from there.

They led by as much as 16 in the first half before settling for a 46-36 halftime lead. The Bolts cut the deficit to as low as five points twice in the third period, thanks to triples from KG Canaleta and Jared Dillinger, but their rally was short-lived.

The KaTropa completely blew the game open in the fourth quarter, when they limited Meralco to only four points in the first six minutes of the frame. On the other end, Anthony Semerad and Jayson Castro drilled back-to-back triples, and Roger Pogoy threw down a slam dunk in transition to help TNT build an 86-65 lead.

TNT led by as much as 22 points, 92-70, off a Garcia triple. Rosario put the finishing touches on the victory with a two-handed throw down inside the final two minutes.

"Our goal as a team is to be consistent on both ends," said Racela. "Today, despite us using a lot of people, medyo consistent kami the whole 48 minutes."

TNT shot 42.9% from the field, and were 18-of-40 from beyond the arc. They also capitalized on Meralco's 17 turnovers, translating them into 15 points.

Meralco, for its part, managed to make only 39.2% of its shots. They were a respectable 13-of-31 from three-point range, but an 18-of-48 clip on two-point field goals doomed the Bolts as they bricked several makeable shots, including transition opportunities from players like Chris Newsome and Mike Tolomia.

Baser Amer led the Bolts with 20 points, six rebounds, and six assists in a losing effort.

The scores:

TNT 99 - Rosario 22, Garcia 18, Pogoy 15, Castro 12, Reyes 10, Semerad 10, Hernandez 3, Carey 3, Williams 2, Torres 2, Tautuaa 2, Onwubere 0, Golla 0.

Meralco 81 - Amer 20, Dillinger 14, Canaleta 11, Tolomia 8, Newsome 6, Lanete 5, Hugnatan 4, Bono 4, Ballesteros 3, Faundo 3, Baracael 2, Sedurifa 1, Salva 0, Caram 0.

Quarter scores: 27-18, 46-36, 73-62, 99-81

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