GROUP B top seed Rain or Shine was pushed the limit before escaping through just the same versus Group A No. 4 Magnolia in the kickoff of their PBA Governors' Cup quarterfinals dispute Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Elasto Painters lost control of the game in the fourth amidst the Hotshots' fiery flurry from afar, but recovered in time to eke out a 109-105 decision for the head start in the race-to-three series.
Coach Yeng Guiao said it's a testament to the character of his players that they passed the acid test.
"Nung natirahan kami ng four-point shots, a team of weaker stuff would fold up," said Guiao on their great recovery in blowing away a 11-point spread then falling behind by 10 at 84-94.
"But our guys were able to come back out of that," added Guiao, then making special mention of import Aaron Fuller who led the team with a solid double-double with 24 points and 20 rebounds.
Sponsored content:
"Aaron did a yeoman job in the middle, and we feel he's really the anchor we can rely on game after game," said Guiao of his indefatigable reinforcement outperforming Magnolia counterpart Rayvonte Rice (with 16 markers and two boards).
Jhonard Clarito contributed 20 points while Adrian Nocum, Leonard Santillan and Gian Mamuyac chipped in 14, 12 and 12, respectively, for the Elasto Painters who were dragged into a battle following four-point bombs by Jerrick Ahanmisi and Aris Dionisio.
Magnolia actually hit at a mind-boggling 6-of-12 clip from the extended arc. Then the Hotshots also converted five of 24 three-point tries.
And it's also a virtual sprint race.
"Magnolia really surprised us as they tried to play the kind of game that we play. They were able to keep up with us," said Guiao of the up-tempo game marked by 22 fastbreak points from ROS and 25 from Magnolia.
Sponsored content:
Then the Hotshots were in control at 100-91 in the last 5:16 when the E-Painters unleashed their decisive counterattack. ROS regained the lead at 103-102 on a three-pointer by Caelan Tiongson and eventually took down the Hotshots on an 11-3 closing tear.
"Na-stuck sila sa 102, and that's the stretch where we played good defense. For a while nahirapan kami sa coverage on their shooters. But we found a solution to it," said Guiao. (SB)
