ROS escapes Magnolia's last gasp to take PBA Govs' Cup QF opener

Aaron Fuller put up another 20-20 for ROS. PBA Images

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—Rain Or Shine got the better of Magnolia in the final 1:25 of Game 1 of their PBA Governors' Cup quarterfinal series for a 109-105 win on Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

In a game where the Elasto Painters struggled from long range, a three-pointer from Caelan Tiongson set the tone for their late barrage as free throws from Aaron Fuller and Andrei Caracut capped a 6-0 run to open a 106-102 lead with 33.4 seconds left.

Zav Lucero kept the Hotshots alive with a three-pointer with 28 seconds to go, and Jhonard Clarito kept the door open for his opponents as he only made 1-for-2 from the free-throw line in his trip there with 19 seconds remaining.

Paul Lee thought of giving the ball back to Lucero for the potential equalizer, but his pass was too high, and Clarito atoned for his previous split by going 2-for-2 from the charity stripe with 3.9 seconds left.

Lee tried to force overtime on his own, but his tough four-pointer from the right wing just rolled out the rim as time expired

"Our advantage is just the will to battle," said ROS coach Yeng Guiao.

Fuller made 24 points, 20 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block, while Clarito added 20 points, five rebounds, and one steal for the Elasto Painters, now 1-0 up in the best-of-five series.

Ray Rice put up 16 points, two rebounds, and one steal, while Paul Lee and Jerrick Ahanmisi each added 15 markers for the Hotshots.

Lee came just close to a triple-double with 13 assists and nine rebounds.

Follow him on X: @IvanSaldajeno