Elasto Painters 90, Realtors 86 (From PBA Online)
EDDIE Laure knocked in a finger-roll lay-up with 11 seconds left, and Rain or Shine delivered a big-time game down the stretch in a match not intended for the weak, shockingly holding off Sta. Lucia Realty, 90-86, and moving a step closer of advancing to the quarter-finals of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup last night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
The veteran journeyman took the ball strong down the middle after Sol Mercado nearly turned the ball over, ignored the presence of Marlou Aquino before letting go of the shot, the leather bouncing twice before finding the hole as the Elasto Painters arranged another knockout game on Wednesday either withBurger King or Coca-Cola.
The 6th-seeded Realtors tried to trim the deficit to 1 but rookie Josh Urbiztondo, previously making big shots one after the other, missed his 3-point attempt this time.
"We can't celebrate yet," said Rain or Shine ace guard Sol Mercado, who came away with 18 points and 7 rebounds merely 2 days after setting a career-high 35 against Alaska Friday. "We're not satisfied with this."
The Painters thus avoided becoming the 2nd team to be eliminated in the season-opening tournament after Barako Bull, surprisingly beating a ball club not only favored to win the game but also heavily picked to make it to the best-of-5 quarter-finals.
"Sta. Lucia is a tough team and we were just lucky," said RoS coach Caloy Garcia. "We worked hard in practice and made the adjustments in our zone defense. And practically everybody stepped up."
Gabe Norwood added 15 points, Jeff Chan contributed 14 and Ryan Arana 13 for the Painters, who as of press time were hoping to faceBurger King on Wednesday.
"Based on the line-up, mas maganda Burger King ang kalaban, height wise and strength wise," said Garcia.
Kelly Williams had a remarkable performance trying to carry the Realtors deeper into the tournament, scattering 27 points and 18 rebounds in a game that likewise sealed his fate of winning the Best Player of the Conference award.
Urbiztondo added 20 points � 18 coming at the 3-point region � Marlou Aguino had 15, and Joseph Yeo 12 for the Realtors, who didn't get much from Ryan Reyes and Nelbert Omolon, who could only produce 4 points apiece.
It was an outcome very few thought was possible. The Painters came into the match winless in the last four outings, but not necessarily totally down in terms of spirit after giving outright semi-finalist Alaska a huge scare last Friday, 95-94.
They were definitely tough when the game entered the homestretch, and never trailed after Chan hit a triple to tie the count forthe final time at 77 with 4:42 left to play.
Laure connected on a short jumper from the left corner and Chan once more hit a triple as Rain or Shine moved up for good 82-77 with 3:19 remaining in the game.
But the Painters had to weather one last stand by the Realtors after that 5-point lead.
After Sta. Lucia and Rain or Shine bungled possessions, the Realtors called for a time-out with 35 seconds left. Urbiztondo inbounded the ball, darted a pass to Ryan Reyes, but got the ball back. He then quickly launched a 3-point shot that swooshed in, wasting merely 4 seconds from the clock.
But Rain or Shine retaliated with its own splendid play. Mercado, nearly trapped at the top of the keyhole by Williams, dished off a pass to Laure, who took it strong to the hoop despite the outstretched arms of Aquino.
The team that comes out on top of the wild card will move on to meet well-rested Purefoods in the quarter-finals, where defending champion Talk ‘N Text and Ginebra will also square off. Winners in the quarter-finals will meet Alaska and powerhouse San Miguel Beer in a best-of-7 series. - journal.com.ph
The scores
Rain or Shine 90 - Mercado 18, Norwood 15, Chan 14, Arana 13, Telan 9, Reyes 8, Laure 8, Hrabak 3, Cruz 2, Dulay 0, Ibanes 0.
Sta. Lucia 86 - Williams 27, Urbiztondo 20, Aquino 16, Yeo 12, Reyes 4, Omolon 4, Misolas 2, Pacana 1, Daa 0, Espinas 0, Mendoza 0.
Quarterscores: 20-22, 40-34, 66-62, 90-86.
Tigers 118, Whoppers 112 (From PBA Online)
Coca-Cola, sustaining the momentum of a three-game closing romp in the elimination round, whipped Burger King, 118-112, to advance to the final knockout stage of the KFC PBA Philippine Cup wildcard round at the Ynares Sports Center here Sunday night.
Mark Macapagal and Norman Gonzales led the Coca-Cola assault in the first half then Gary David and Dennis Espino took over in the second as the Tigers dominated the Whoppers, gaining the right to face the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the closing phase of the wildcard.
The Elasto Painters beat out the Sta. Lucia Realtors, 90-86, in a fierce showdown earlier in the day.
The Tigers and the Elasto Painters battle in another do-or-die encounter in the same venue Wednesday with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals versus the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.
"Surely, we don't want wasted the streak we've got now. We'll do our best to make it five in a row Wednesday for us to get into the quarters," said Coca-Cola coach Bo Perasol.
"We know though that it won't be easy. We have a gritty opponent in Rain or Shine. They've just shown they can compete in a big game," Perasol also said.
Both Coca-Cola and Rain or Shine fought with great resolve as they eased out Burger King and Sta. Lucia.
The Realtors, who narrowly missed an outright quarters seat, settled for eighth place with the Whoppers next at ninth.
Asi Taulava, averaging 17 points in the tournament, made only eight this time but he provided the Tigers a huge defensive and inside presence which proved to tough to overcome for the Whoppers.
Macapagal, David, Espino and Gonzales supplied the points as the Tigers battered the Whoppers in the middle quarters before slowing down inthe final canto.
David had a solid performance in his first game versus his former team, drilling in 21 points. Macapagal had 22, Espino 16 and Gonzales 14.
"Hindi ako nakatulog noong nalaman kong Burger King ang kalaban namin -- excited na hindi malaman. Na-survived namin sila at ngayon excited akong makalaban si Gabe Norwood and Sol Mercado," said David.
The former Lyceum star made four straight charities at the finish helping Coke hold off BK's endgame chase.
Ronjay Buenafe put in a personal conference-high of 27 points and starred in BK's fourth-quarter chase that saw them cut a 21-point deficit to four twice in the last two minutes.
The Tigers eventually finished off the Whoppers as RJ Rizada pulled off a big offensive rebound then scored on a putback making it 118-112 with 30 seconds left to play.
Rookie Ronnie Matias came through with a career-best 23 points, carrying the cudgels for BK early on before fouling out with nine minutes left to play. (SB)
The scores:
Coca-Cola 118 - Macapagal 22, David 21, Espino 16, Gonzales 14, Ross 10, Cruz 8, Calimag 8, Taulava 8, Rizada 6, Rodriguez 5.
Burger King 112 - Buenafe 27, Matias 23, Yee R. 19, Belga 10, Cabagnot 10, Gonzales W. 9, Quinahan 5, Sharma 4, Yee M. 3, Williams 2, Billones 0.
Quarterscores: 38-29, 67-54, 91-75, 118-112
EDDIE Laure knocked in a finger-roll lay-up with 11 seconds left, and Rain or Shine delivered a big-time game down the stretch in a match not intended for the weak, shockingly holding off Sta. Lucia Realty, 90-86, and moving a step closer of advancing to the quarter-finals of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup last night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
The veteran journeyman took the ball strong down the middle after Sol Mercado nearly turned the ball over, ignored the presence of Marlou Aquino before letting go of the shot, the leather bouncing twice before finding the hole as the Elasto Painters arranged another knockout game on Wednesday either withBurger King or Coca-Cola.
The 6th-seeded Realtors tried to trim the deficit to 1 but rookie Josh Urbiztondo, previously making big shots one after the other, missed his 3-point attempt this time.
"We can't celebrate yet," said Rain or Shine ace guard Sol Mercado, who came away with 18 points and 7 rebounds merely 2 days after setting a career-high 35 against Alaska Friday. "We're not satisfied with this."
The Painters thus avoided becoming the 2nd team to be eliminated in the season-opening tournament after Barako Bull, surprisingly beating a ball club not only favored to win the game but also heavily picked to make it to the best-of-5 quarter-finals.
"Sta. Lucia is a tough team and we were just lucky," said RoS coach Caloy Garcia. "We worked hard in practice and made the adjustments in our zone defense. And practically everybody stepped up."
Gabe Norwood added 15 points, Jeff Chan contributed 14 and Ryan Arana 13 for the Painters, who as of press time were hoping to faceBurger King on Wednesday.
"Based on the line-up, mas maganda Burger King ang kalaban, height wise and strength wise," said Garcia.
Kelly Williams had a remarkable performance trying to carry the Realtors deeper into the tournament, scattering 27 points and 18 rebounds in a game that likewise sealed his fate of winning the Best Player of the Conference award.
Urbiztondo added 20 points � 18 coming at the 3-point region � Marlou Aguino had 15, and Joseph Yeo 12 for the Realtors, who didn't get much from Ryan Reyes and Nelbert Omolon, who could only produce 4 points apiece.
It was an outcome very few thought was possible. The Painters came into the match winless in the last four outings, but not necessarily totally down in terms of spirit after giving outright semi-finalist Alaska a huge scare last Friday, 95-94.
They were definitely tough when the game entered the homestretch, and never trailed after Chan hit a triple to tie the count forthe final time at 77 with 4:42 left to play.
Laure connected on a short jumper from the left corner and Chan once more hit a triple as Rain or Shine moved up for good 82-77 with 3:19 remaining in the game.
But the Painters had to weather one last stand by the Realtors after that 5-point lead.
After Sta. Lucia and Rain or Shine bungled possessions, the Realtors called for a time-out with 35 seconds left. Urbiztondo inbounded the ball, darted a pass to Ryan Reyes, but got the ball back. He then quickly launched a 3-point shot that swooshed in, wasting merely 4 seconds from the clock.
But Rain or Shine retaliated with its own splendid play. Mercado, nearly trapped at the top of the keyhole by Williams, dished off a pass to Laure, who took it strong to the hoop despite the outstretched arms of Aquino.
The team that comes out on top of the wild card will move on to meet well-rested Purefoods in the quarter-finals, where defending champion Talk ‘N Text and Ginebra will also square off. Winners in the quarter-finals will meet Alaska and powerhouse San Miguel Beer in a best-of-7 series. - journal.com.ph
The scores
Rain or Shine 90 - Mercado 18, Norwood 15, Chan 14, Arana 13, Telan 9, Reyes 8, Laure 8, Hrabak 3, Cruz 2, Dulay 0, Ibanes 0.
Sta. Lucia 86 - Williams 27, Urbiztondo 20, Aquino 16, Yeo 12, Reyes 4, Omolon 4, Misolas 2, Pacana 1, Daa 0, Espinas 0, Mendoza 0.
Quarterscores: 20-22, 40-34, 66-62, 90-86.
Tigers 118, Whoppers 112 (From PBA Online)
Coca-Cola, sustaining the momentum of a three-game closing romp in the elimination round, whipped Burger King, 118-112, to advance to the final knockout stage of the KFC PBA Philippine Cup wildcard round at the Ynares Sports Center here Sunday night.
Mark Macapagal and Norman Gonzales led the Coca-Cola assault in the first half then Gary David and Dennis Espino took over in the second as the Tigers dominated the Whoppers, gaining the right to face the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the closing phase of the wildcard.
The Elasto Painters beat out the Sta. Lucia Realtors, 90-86, in a fierce showdown earlier in the day.
The Tigers and the Elasto Painters battle in another do-or-die encounter in the same venue Wednesday with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals versus the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.
"Surely, we don't want wasted the streak we've got now. We'll do our best to make it five in a row Wednesday for us to get into the quarters," said Coca-Cola coach Bo Perasol.
"We know though that it won't be easy. We have a gritty opponent in Rain or Shine. They've just shown they can compete in a big game," Perasol also said.
Both Coca-Cola and Rain or Shine fought with great resolve as they eased out Burger King and Sta. Lucia.
The Realtors, who narrowly missed an outright quarters seat, settled for eighth place with the Whoppers next at ninth.
Asi Taulava, averaging 17 points in the tournament, made only eight this time but he provided the Tigers a huge defensive and inside presence which proved to tough to overcome for the Whoppers.
Macapagal, David, Espino and Gonzales supplied the points as the Tigers battered the Whoppers in the middle quarters before slowing down inthe final canto.
David had a solid performance in his first game versus his former team, drilling in 21 points. Macapagal had 22, Espino 16 and Gonzales 14.
"Hindi ako nakatulog noong nalaman kong Burger King ang kalaban namin -- excited na hindi malaman. Na-survived namin sila at ngayon excited akong makalaban si Gabe Norwood and Sol Mercado," said David.
The former Lyceum star made four straight charities at the finish helping Coke hold off BK's endgame chase.
Ronjay Buenafe put in a personal conference-high of 27 points and starred in BK's fourth-quarter chase that saw them cut a 21-point deficit to four twice in the last two minutes.
The Tigers eventually finished off the Whoppers as RJ Rizada pulled off a big offensive rebound then scored on a putback making it 118-112 with 30 seconds left to play.
Rookie Ronnie Matias came through with a career-best 23 points, carrying the cudgels for BK early on before fouling out with nine minutes left to play. (SB)
The scores:
Coca-Cola 118 - Macapagal 22, David 21, Espino 16, Gonzales 14, Ross 10, Cruz 8, Calimag 8, Taulava 8, Rizada 6, Rodriguez 5.
Burger King 112 - Buenafe 27, Matias 23, Yee R. 19, Belga 10, Cabagnot 10, Gonzales W. 9, Quinahan 5, Sharma 4, Yee M. 3, Williams 2, Billones 0.
Quarterscores: 38-29, 67-54, 91-75, 118-112
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