MANILA, Philippines - Rain or Shine shackled down Meralco import Mario West in the final quarter then settled down on the line at endgame as the Elasto Painters beat the Bolts, 81-77, in a tough defensive battle to gain entry into the PBA Governors Cup semifinal round at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.
The Elasto Painters bungled numerous free throws but made the crucial ones as they bounced back from their loss to the Powerade Tigers Sunday and in the process regained a share of the lead with the B-Meg Llamados with their identical 5-1 (win-loss) slates.
It helped a lot that Rain or Shine held West to two points in the payoff period, slowing down Meralco before eventually handing the Bolts their fourth loss against two wins.
Meanwhile, Talk n Text and Alaska Milk fight to stay alive as they clash in a Phoenix Fuel-sponsored road game in Tubod, Lanao del Norte tonight.
“We survived our free throws. We missed a lot and just found other ways to win this game,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.
“It was a tough defensive game. We played a lot harder in the second game to be able to minimize the effectivity of their import,” Guiao added.
The Elasto Painters converted 14 of 16 free throws after going 15-of-27 from the line in the first three quarters of play.
They made all their last seven charities, spiking a closing 9-2 run that pulled them through in the tough contest marked by nine deadlocks and 19 lead changes.
Jervy Cruz, Paul Lee and Gabe Norwood canned in the clutch foul shots, preserving Jamelle Cornley’s efficient double-double game.
Obviously, Cornley and the fiery Rain or Shine mentor had put behind them their altercation after their loss to Powerade.
Jireh Ibanes lent a big help through a solid defense he put on West in the final quarter.
In the nightcap, Barangay Ginebra stopped Gary David’s amazing streak of 20-point showing but not Powerade’s romp.
David’s 16 points nothwitstanding, the Tigers scored a fourth straight victory with an 86-83 decision over the Kings.
It was the first time in the last 20 games that David failed to score at least 20 points.
West led all scorers with 23 points but was held scoreless in the homestretch.
Baiting a foul from Sol Mercado, Lee sank two free throws that sent RoS ahead to stay at 78-77 with 37 seconds left to play.
A double-teaming defense forced West to commit an error, and the Bolts had to give a duty foul, sending Norwood to the line this time.
Going 6-of-11 from the stripe earlier, Norwood overcame tremendous pressure to push RoS up by three at 80-77.
Cornley wound up with 21 points and 10 rebounds with Lee and Norwood adding 16 and 10 markers, respectively.
Cornley himself struggled from the line, missing seven of 14 attempts.