HUSTLE: NorthPort forward Cade Flores dives for the loose ball against TNT big man JP Erram in last night’s game. PBA PHOTO

SELDOM-USED big man Barkley Eboña of defending champion TNT outworked the NorthPort frontline of William Navarro, Cade Flores, and Arvin Tolentino for two straight offensive rebounds at the halfway mark of the fourth quarter last night.

Taking the cue from Eboña, the Tropang Giga, despite playing undermanned, blasted the Batang Pier 99-79 to finish their Group A campaign on a high in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

After hauling the offensive board, Eboña powered his way inside the paint and drew a foul on Tolentino before sinking two free throws that made it an 81-65 game with 5:54 to go.

Eboña’s efforts on the glass typified TNT’s resolve despite the absence of reigning best import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (ankle) and the departure of gunner Calvin Oftana in the first quarter due to a busted lower lip that required stitches after an inadvertent hit from Tolentino.

Magnolia takes on Converge today also in Group A, with the winner clinching the No. 3 seed and the loser dropping to fourth while Rain or Shine seeks the top spot in Group B at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.

Coach Chot Reyes said his charges still have to work on their offensive game to complement their vaunted defense.

“We’ve been working on our offense lately in our last couple of practices. You saw how much we struggled in our previous game. We didn’t even score 80 points against Terrafirma. We had to go back and take a lot at what we are doing and what we can do to improve,” Reyes said. “I thought we saw some positives tonight to be able to score better even without Rondae.

“I think that’s No. 1—our offensive efficiency has to pick up in the playoffs and at the same time keep our defensive efficiency. I think that’s very important. Our defense has carried us through when we were struggling on offense,” he added.

Center JP Erram wound up with 17 points, 13 rebounds and four assists for the Tropang Giga while Rey Nambatac chipped in 15 markers and 11 caroms.

Roger Pogoy and Henry Galinato also had 14 and 11 points, respectively, as TNT redeemed itself from a stunning 72-84 loss to the erstwhile winless Dyip four nights back and ended the group play with an 8-2 mark.

NorthPort, which lost reinforcement Venky Jois to a partial Achilles tendon rupture he suffered in their clash with Meralco last Sept. 14, failed to bounce back from a 94-110 rout at the hands of Magnolia last Friday and finished the conference with a 3-7 record.

The Tropang Giga also downed the Batang Pier 101-95 in their first-round duel last Aug. 20.

TNT took a 43-36 advantage at the half and still held a 65-60 cushion heading into the final stanza.

The Tropang Giga uncorked a vicious 22-8 blitz that turned a 52-all count to a 74-60 spread on an Eboña basket with 8:34 remaining.

A Brian Heruela layup padded the difference to as much as 99-74, only 1:07 left.

Tolentino totaled 24 points and six rebounds for NorthPort while Flores got 18 and nine.

A battle-scared tactician, Reyes knows the playoffs will be a different animal and while they are looking good in their bid to retain the title, they also know the battle is far from over.