Jay R. Gotera
MANILA — The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters fell into a deep 18-point hole in the first quarter but doggedly fought back to keep the game close before finally getting the breaks in the endgame for a 108-105 victory over the San Miguel Beermen in the 2016 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Friday night.
New import Mo Charlo was a revelation for ROS, exploding for a team-high 35 points on top of 13 boards and three assists. He shot 12-for-22 (54-percent) from the field and an eye-popping 6-for-8 from beyond the three-point arc.
JR Quinahan added 15 points while Chris Tiu and Maverick Ahanmisi chipped in 13 markers apiece for ROS. Jeff Chan contributed 12 points. The win lifted the Painters to an even 3-3 win-loss card.
The Beermen’s four-game winning streak, on the other hand, came to an end as SMB slid to a 3-2 card.
Import Tyler Wilkerson led the Beermen with 33 points and 10 rebounds. Marcio Lassiter and Alex Cabagnot added 18 points each.
Back-to-back MVP June Mar Fajardo only scored four points. He left the game in the second quarter after suffering a knee injury.
NLEX 104, Meralco 99
NBA veteran Al Thornton banged in 38 points, 20 of them in the pivotal third quarter, to lead the NLEX Road Warriors to a come-from-behind 104-99 victory over the Meralco Bolts.
The win lifted NLEX to a 3-3 win-loss slate, the same record held by four other teams—Rain or Shine, Barangay Ginebra, Mahindra and Blackwater—all bunched together in the middle of the pack.
Meralco suffered a second straight defeat for a 5-2 card, still good for solo second in the team standings behind the pacesetting Alaska Aces (4-1).
Garvo Lanete added 14 points while Kevin Alas had 10 for NLEX. Veteran center Asi Taulava also played solidly for the Road Warriors, finishing with eight points and nine rebounds.
Meralco was up, 57-50, at halftime and even led by 12 at the start of the third quarter when Thornton exploded big time, scoring 20 huge points, including 18 straight markers three of them three-pointers.
A three-pointer by Alas allowed NLEX to take the lead, 79-78, as the third quarter ended with the Road Warriors ahead, 81-79.
Even with Thornton on the bench, the Road Warriors opened the fourth quarter with a 14-4 blast to take full command of the game. The Bolts tried to close the gap, coming to within three points of tying the score, but the Road Warriors nailed their free throws to preserve the win.
Import Arinze Onuaku led Meralco with 16 points and 18 rebounds while Baser Amer and Jared Dillinger each added 14 markers.
Games Saturday: Star Hotshots (2-4) vs. Phoenix Fuel Masters (2-3) and Alaska Aces (4-1) vs. GlobalPort Batang Pier (2-4).
