MANILA, Philippines - Burger King squandered an early 16-point lead but regrouped and beat out Rain or Shine, 91-89, in a pulsating finish in their KFC PBA Philippine Cup road game at the Arturo Lugod Gym in Gingoog, Misamis Oriental last night.
Ronjay Buenafe scored 22 points, including the deciding drive-in basket, giving the Whoppers a second win against the same number of losses in the all-Filipino tourney.
BK blew away a strong start but caught a second wind, enabling the team to overcome an eight-point deficit in the last 4:32 of play.
Ryan Arana put in a career-best 25-point output but missed a charity that could have pushed Rain or Shine ahead with 5.8 ticks left.
Meanwhile, defending champion Barangay Ginebra and three other teams put their clean slates on the line at the resumption of play today at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Kings and the Alaska Milk Aces clash at 4 p.m., both seeking win No. 4 while the Talk n Text Tropang Texters and the Sta. Lucia Realtors collide at 6:30 p.m. with both going for a third straight win.
Sol Mercado hardly made an impact in his return from a one-game layoff as the Elasto Painters remained winless in three starts.
Mark Yee and Richard Yee, on the other hand, also played vital roles for the Whoppers as they topped the Elasto Painters.
Mark Yee and Buenafe converted back-to-back treys to cap a decisive 11-to-nothing run that brought BK back into the game after a meltdown in the two middle quarters.
The Whoppers had the chance to clinch the game earlier but they fumbled an inbound play while holding a precarious 89-88 lead with 8.6 seconds left.
The Elasto Painters then went to Arana in a bid to steal the game.
The gutsy player from La Salle drew a foul from Richard Yee on a barreling drive that sent him to the line. Alas, Arana canned in just one free throw to tie the count at 89-all.
Immediately suing for time, BK opted to go to Buenafe who bailed them out in converting a running jumper.
Buenafe also drew a foul from Jeff Chan on the way to the basket. He missed the accompanying shot but Rain or Shine was left with no time to plot a final play.
Arana sizzled hottest in the third quarter, presiding over a searing Rain or Shine attack that had them surging ahead at 61-57.
The Whoppers dominated the first half, leading by as many as 16 on a torrid 57-percent field-goal shooting.
BK opened the game with a 17-3 run then had its 16-point spread at 23-7, eight minutes into the contest.
Rain or Shine went to Arana and JayR Reyes as the Elasto Painters rallied to within five at 33-38 early in the second period.
The Whoppers converted 13 of 23 field-goal attempts while the Elasto Painters struggled with an 8-of-26 shooting in the first 24 minutes of play.
The scores:
Burger King 91 – Buenafe 22, M. Yee 14, R. Yee 13, Belga 10, Matias 8, Sharma 6, Billones 5, Lanete 4, Aban 4, David 3, Quinahan 2.
Rain or Shine 89 – Arana 25, Reyes 15, Chan 14, Norwood 13, Laure 9, Mercado 6, Telan 5, Arellano 2, Ibanes 0, Dulay 0, Cruz 0.
Quarterscores: 32-18, 55-47, 61-69, 91-89