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| Adrian Nocum struck in the clutch to highlight a career game. Peter Baltazar |
PASAY—Adrian Nocum made sure his career night would not be put to waste as he led Rain or Shine to a 98-97 win against Magnolia in their PBA Governors' Cup game on Friday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Coming off the bench, Nocum exploded for a career-high 31 points on 11 of 16 shooting, but none was more important than his game-winning layup with 5.6 seconds left.
Using a hard screen from Luis Villegas, Nocum drove hard to the basket and laid the ball in despite the Hotshots' tough defense.
KJ Buffen tried to save the day for Magnolia, but he badly missed his layup off a double team between Aaron Fuller and Caelan Tiongson as time expired.
Nocum also had nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals as ROS has now won three straight games after a 0-2 start and is now in second place in Group B, one game behind Phoenix.
Deo Cuajao added 15 points, all on outside shots, while Fuller chipped in 14 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Buffen also had 31 points on 13-for-23 shooting with 17 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks, but he failed to lead Magnolia back to its winning ways as the club dropped to the bottom of the group at 1-3.
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