Bigs take over in OT as ROS stuns Ginebra

Beau Belga carried the fight for the Elasto Painters in overtime. PBA Images

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Struggling all game long, Jewel Ponferada sat out for most of the fourth quarter and overtime of Rain Or Shine's hotly contested Tuesday night clash with Ginebra at the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center.

But with Beau Belga already too tired after carrying the fight for the Elasto Painters midway into the extension, Ponferada had to be reinserted into the game.

With the match on the line, Ponferada delivered.

Ponferada's lone field goal in the game turned out to be the dagger as ROS hacked out an 85-82 win over Ginebra.

His basket actually saved the Elasto Painters from blowing the play.

With them up by just three, 83-80, Rey Nambatac, who sent the game to overtime with a game tying triple, slipped while going for a drive to the basket, losing the ball in the process.

But Ponferada recovered the ball and put up a floater that rattled in to up the lead to five with only five seconds remaining.

Ponferada's game-saving teardrop preserved Belga's takeover in which he scored five straight points that broke a 78-all tie.

Stanley Pringle kept the Barangay in the game with a quick layup that drew them to within 80-83, but he missed a potential equalizer from three-point range, giving the Elasto Painters a chance to ice the game.

Jeff Chan scored on a buzzer-beating layup for the final scoreline.

Belga finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, one block, and two steals for ROS, which got back to the win column, its fourth in the season, after losing for the first time at the hands of Alaska.

Mark Borboran added 16 points, five rebounds, and one steal.

Scottie Thompson's season-high 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks went down the drain as Ginebra fell for the second straight game despite a franchise record tying 4-0 start.

Pringle put up 20 markers, seven boards, and six dimes.

Box Scores:

Rain Or Shine 85-Belga 20, Borboran 16, Yap 13, Mocon 12, Nambatac 8, Rosales 8, Norwood 3, Onwubere 3, Ponferada 2, Torres 0, Wong 0

Ginebra 82-Thompson 21, Pringle 20, Aguilar 13, Tenorio 10, Devance 6, Caperal 5, Mariano 3, Chan 2, Dillinger 2, Tolentino 0

Quarterscores: 24-15, 45-36, 61-57, 76-76, 85-82

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