By JAY R. GOTERA
Saudi Gazette
MANILA — Import Joel Wright nailed the game-winning shot with 0.7 seconds left as the Star Hotshots edged the Meralco Bolts, 104-103, Sunday night, thus keep their slim hopes alive of getting the last ticket to the playoffs of the PBA Governors Cup.
Wright led Star with 27 points and 14 rebounds.
Peter June Simon added 16 points for the Hotshots while Marc Pingris chipped in with 15 points and nine boards. Allein Maliksi also scored 15 markers for Star, which missed the services of James Yap.
The win snapped Star’s five-game losing streak as the Hotshots improved to 2-7. They will still need to sweep their last two games, which includes games against No. 1-ranked TNT (8-1) and Rain or Shine (4-5) to avert early elimination.
The Bolts dropped to 5-5 after losing a second straight heartbreaker following their four-point loss to SMB in their last game.
NLEX 111, ROS 99
The NLEX Road Warriors bombarded the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters with a flurry of three-pointers in the fourth quarter to score an emphatic 111-99 come-from-behind victory.
The Road Warriors outscored the Painters, 40-24, in the final quarter to complete an amazing comeback after trailing by 21 points early in the game.
Garvo Lanete fueled the comeback, banging in six three-pointers to finish with a career-high-matching 21 points in 19 minutes off the bench.
Import Henry Walker provided ample support, finishing with a team-high 23 points and 12 boards for NLEX, which tied their victims in the standings with a 4-5 win-loss record, ensuring their entry in the quarterfinals.
Enrico Villanueva added 14 while comebacking Sean Anthony and Glenn Khobuntin chipped in 12 and 10 markers, respectively.
Down 27-48, the Road Warriors launched a fierce comeback, cutting Rain or Shine’s lead to 10 at the half, then to four at the end of the third quarter.
NLEX finally grabbed the lead, 83-81, and never looked back again to complete the morale-boosting victory.
Paul Lee paced the Painters with 23 points, six boards, and five assists, but import Jason Forte underperformed anew, finishing with just seven points and six boards in 28 minutes and didn’t see action in the last seven minutes.
Games Wednesday: Blackwater Elite (1-7) vs. Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters (4-4) and Alaska Aces (3-5) vs. GlobalPort Batang Pier (3-5).
