CEBU, Philippines - Prolific shooting guard Robinson Mohammad nailed a back-breaking triple in the final 53 seconds and 6-foot-9 center Junemar Fajardo split his charities with only a few ticks left before the buzzer as UC-Gaisano Capital scored a precarious 66-62 victory over the stubborn Rose Aquarius in yesterday's 5th CESAFI Partners' Cup at the Cebu Coliseum.
Games today
(Cebu Coliseum)
5:30 pm Rose Aquarius vs. Prime Asia
7 pm Gaisano Capital vs. Lion Tiger
Mohammad, who did not join the warm-up for him to recover from a flu-like symptom, earlier hit a game-tying basket, 62-all, before giving his team a 65-62 lead.
The Gaisano Capital survived what would have been a humiliating upset from Rose Aquarius, who led by as much as 10 points late in the third period, 43-33.
However, Gaisano Capital, which was banking on their height advantage and more solid defense, outscored their rival, 20-12, to end the third canto and take a 48-47 edge.
Mohammad's crucial triple came after Rose Aquarius' Fritz Dajalos scored a deep triple, giving his team a 60-56 advantage with still 2:50 left in the match.
Then Mohammad came to the rescue, scoring seven straight points in the game bridging from the final 2:22 mark of the contest to the final 53 seconds.
For the second time, Gerald Ampoon showed up scoring 10 points identical with rookie Roger Caytuna.
Fajardo, who came up with key rebounds and defensive stops in the closing minutes, had eight points.
Gaisano Capital now temporarily held the top spot with a 3-0 win-loss record.
It was Lawrence Maraño who led the 0-2 Rose Aquarius with 11 points.
The scores
Gaisano Capital (66) - Ampoon 10, Caytuna 10, Fajardo 8, Magallanes 8, Mohammad 7, Batua 7, Pogoy 7, Pao 3, Aranas 2, Labolabo 2, Batino 2
Rose Aquarius (62) - Maraño 11, Dajalos 9, J. Ferraren 8, Sedurifa 8, Avila 7, Sollano 4, Linao 3, Fuentes 3, Corcilles 2, Nudalo 2, Genobia 2, Misa 2 Halftime: 28-34 - BANAT NEWS