Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 25) – The NLEX Road Warriors held the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters to just three points in overtime to clinch a 109-100 win in the PBA Governors’ Cup on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
NLEX Import KJ McDaniels, who made the basket that forced the extra period, led all scorers with 35 points and 12 rebounds while team captain Kevin Alas tallied a rare double-double effort of 15 markers and 10 boards for their third straight win.
“This game is a testament to the character of the boys. We were able to pull it out in the overtime. It’s a testament to the character of the team that we can win in different ways,” said NLEX head coach Yeng Guiao, whose wards are now assured of a quarterfinals berth.
Rain or Shine led by as much as 22 points in the first half, but McDaniels and Alas spearheaded a big scoring run in the third quarter to trim their deficit to just two after 36 minutes of action.
The Road Warriors finally grabbed the lead in the middle of the fourth quarter, but import Henry Walker and Rey Nambatac made sure to keep the Elasto Painters at bay.
Rain or Shine could have won the game with a trey by Nambatac with 38 seconds remaining for a 97-92 lead. But NLEX big man JR Quinahan answered with his own three-pointer and McDaniels converted the game-tying jumper with nine seconds left to send the game into overtime.
“We’re giving up offensive rebounds all game long, that’s as bad as not playing good defense. Rain or Shine was shooting the ball really well. For a while, we had no solution on Walker and Nambatac. In the overtime, Walker was worn out and in foul trouble,” Guiao reflected during the post-game press conference.
In overtime, the Road Warriors made some defensive adjustments to keep the Elasto Painters from scoring and improve their record to 6-3.
Walker topscored for Rain or Shine with 28 points and 13 rebounds while Nambatac contributed 27 markers in a losing effort that saw them fall to a 3-6 slate.
The Scores:
NLEX 109 – McDaniels 35, Alas 15, Cruz 13, Quinahan 13, Rosales 9, Soyud 9, Trollano 5, Nieto 4, Paniamogan 3, Ighalo 3, Varilla 0, Magat 0
RAIN OR SHINE 100 – Walker 28, Nambatac 27, Mocon 11, Santillan 8, Nieto 6, Torres 7, Borboran 4, Norwood 3, Jackson 3, Guinto 3, Asistio 0
Quarterscores: 23-31, 38-55, 70-72, 97-97, 109-100 (OT)
