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| PBA |
By Emy Manipol
PASAY--Despite the brilliant scoring of Blackwater Elite’s Carlo Lastimosa, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters managed to escape the Elite in a tight PBA Philippine Cup playoff match, 95-90, at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday.
Lastimosa put on a show after being limited to merely four points during the first two quarters and dropped an offensive bomb on the Elasto Painters’ defense as he managed to find lapses on their defence. Lastimosa tallied for 16 points at the end of the 3rd canto.
ROS, however, managed to outmuscle Blackwater from inside the shaded area as their big men dominated their counterparts and took a 69-60 lead heading to the final quarter.
On the brink of its Philippine Cup ending, Blackwater tried to fuel its last push to attempt to come from behind sparked by Lastimosa’s great offensive stroke.
But Chris Tiu, who scored all his seven points during the fourth quarter, kept ROS ahead.
The Elasto Painters left a window opportunity open for the Elite as center Beau Belga turned the ball over twice, but their opponents failed to convert.
The Elasto Painters’ defense stood strong during the dying minutes of the game to secure their win.
Jeff Chan led ROS, which will await the winner of the other first round pairing between Talk 'n Text and NLEX, with 17 points and six rebounds.
Lastimosa’s 35-point outing was put to waste due to Blackwater’s inability to capitalize on turnovers and lack of defensive tenacity.
Despite the help he received from other players, JP Erram and Art Dela Cruz who both scored 11 points, the Elasto Painters' balanced offense proved too much for the playoff newcomers.
Box Scores:
Rain or Shine 95–Chan 17, Quinahan 16, Almazan 11, Ahanmisi 11, Cruz 9, Norwood 8, Belga 6, Tiu 6, Trollano 4, Ibanes 2, Ponferada 4, Ibanes 2, Teng 0
Blackwater 90–Lastimosa 35, Erram 11, Dela Cruz 11, Gamalinda 6, Reyes 6, Cortez 5, Agovida 5, Golla 4, Melano 2, Vosotros 0, Canada 0
Quarterscores: 17-14, 44-34, 69-60, 95-90
Follow her on Twitter: @emymanipol
