Rios' hot fourth-quarter shooting vaults Hog’s Breath over Wangs

MANILA, Philippines – Jansen Rios flubbed a pass to Hog’s Breath teammate Paul Sanga. The turnover saw Wangs Basketball score on a fastbreak on the opposite end.

Twice the Hog’s Breath Razorbacks compiled a double-digit advantage only to watch as Wangs Basketball Couriers roared right back with huge shots from their frontline of Macky Acosta and Brian Ilad.

The Razorbacks’ got a reprieve when Ilad was tossed for punching point guard Joseph Terso off an inbound play. At that point, Wangs Basketball was breathing down the necks of Caloy Garcia’s boys with only a seven-point deficit to overhaul. Ilad and the Couriers’ coaching staff led by Pablo Lucas vociferously protested the call saying that there was no punch at all.

Their protestations went unheeded and from thereon, their attack stalled.

On the opposite end, after Rios’ boner, Garcia called time to settle down his flustered team. Sanga had also previously missed an undergoal stab while Terso muffed three free throws.

Upon the resumption of the game, Rios, who had a subpar season with Adamson in the last UAAP tournament, knocked down a wide open three. He followed that up with a lay up off a two-on-one fastbreak with Hog’s Breath’s second point guard Alex Austria finding him on the wing.

But the Couriers had one last rally in them as they cut the lead to three, 80-77, from two free throws by Abel Galliguez.

Hog’s breath responded with Austria and Rios each knocking down a three. Rios’ dagger was the clincher.  

Calling for a clear out, Rios dribbled between the legs as if getting ready to drive then he pulled up for a deadeye trey over Acosta who rotated out to guard the shifty forward. As the ball ripped right through the cords, Hog’s Breath bench jumped up in celebration.

Rios’ third triple of the quarter (along with a Sanga and Austria three) knocked the fight out of Wangs Basketball for a 109-93 victory’ their third win in as many games while the Couriers dropped to 1-4. He scored 11 points in the fourth period to pace Hog’s Breath that saw the return of Garcia’s Letran contingent in Ford Ruaya, Kevin Racal, Jamil Gabawan, and Jonathan Beloria after the conclusion of the NCAA Finals that saw the Knights lose in three to the San Beda Red Lions.

Incredibly, Rios started for Garcia at center. “We’re a small team. We don’t have any natural center so everyone has had to pitch in playing the middle,” explained Garcia. “It is a must that we crash the boards. Jansen did his best to play the middle early on.”

Aside from scoring 17 points, Rios also pulled down four rebounds and added two assists, two steals, and four blocks!

In Hog’s Breath’s first win of the D-League’s Aspirant’s Cup, he pulled down 13 rebounds in an 80-69 win over Arellano-Air21.

Against the Cagayan Valley Rising Suns, Rios laid a big fat egg in the points column as he played 21 inconsequential minutes. “For Jansen to realize his potential, he has to play more consistently.”