William Navarro drives to the basket and takes a hit from Calvin Oftana during a PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals game between Magnolia Hotshots and TNT Tropang 5G. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Magnolia forward William Navarro wasn’t surprised at all by the physicality of TNT in their first game of the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals.
Navarro was inadvertently hit in the head by Calvin Oftana late in the third quarter, which merited a flagrant foul penalty one.
The former NorthPort standout, though, didn’t mind. In fact, he even joked about it with Oftana despite the Hotshots absorbing an 89-88 loss to the Tropang Giga.
“I just went for the layup and then he fouled me on my head. It’s part of the game,” Navarro told Inquirer Sports with a grin at Philsports Arena on Wednesday night.
“I was expecting everyone to play hard. It’s not even a question if they’re gonna go hard. Obviously, you have to play offensively and we’re ready. It’s just a matter of being smart.”
READ: PBA: TNT’s Grand Slam bid stays on track after escaping Magnolia
Despite TNT’s tough defense, Navarro still delivered 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 27 minutes of playoff action.
Unfortunately for Magnolia, it wasn’t enough to deny TNT from keeping its grand slam bid alive.
‘DI SADYA, ‘DI SADYA 😅
WATCH: Calvin Oftana jokes around with William Navarro after the game between TNT and Magnolia.
Oftana was whistled for a flagrant foul penalty one on Navarro in the tail-end of the third quarter. | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/VgB4FrtChm
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) June 18, 2025
The loss also wiped out Magnolia’s twice-to-beat advantage. Now, it’s back to square one for both teams.
Navarro understands the stakes and hopes to do the little things to help push the Hotshots to the semifinals.
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“We have to be a lot smarter in execution. We have to follow the little things and be more detailed,” he said.
“We have to be better in every way. We have to follow the little things, be more detailed, do the little things, and we have to be smarter.”
TNT and Magnolia face off one last time in the quarters at Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Sunday.
