Buenafe bails Comets out in 2nd OT

Mail and More found an unlikely hero in Ronjay Buenafe in second overtime as it downed Cebuana Lhuillier, 95-90, yesterday to grab a piece of the lead with Hapee Toothpaste-PCU and Henkel-Sista in the PBL Silver Cup at the UST Gym.

Buenafe, a high-leaping guard from Emilio Aguinaldo College, bailed the Comets out of trouble as he scored all of his five points – a triple and a driving lay-up – in the second extra period.

"He’s heaven sent," said Mail and More coach Lawrence Chongson of Buenafe who keyed their fifth win in seven outings.

While Buenafe made the biggest shots, JR Quinahan got the rest of job done as the Comets dealt the Moneymen their fourth loss against two wins.

The former University of Visayas standout dished out his second straight double-double job with 21 points and 14 rebounds. He also had eight blocks.

Incidentally, the Comets posted their first triumph in three games at the UST gym.

"I’m glad we finally broke our jinx here," said Chongson, whose team dropped two losses in the same venue against Harbour Centre, 61-76, on Nov. 16 and TeleTech, 70-79, a week later.

The Comets, however, almost blew it.

After erecting an almost insurmountable 55-33 lead early in the third quarter, Mail and More became complacent, allowing Cebuana Lhuillier to get back into the game.

Mark Abadia scored 12 of his 19 points in the fourth period, and the Moneymen wheeled ahead at 73-69.

In the other game, Kim Valenzuela and Ariel Capuz starred for TeleTech as it slammed Kettle Korn, 74-52, to close in on the leaders with a 4-2 win-loss slate. It was the Corn Poppers’ seventh straight setback in as many games.