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| Beau Belga and the rest of ROS blocked RJ Jazul and the Aces' path to the Finals in Game 4. |
Game notes:
- Bull Walker got tossed, Paul Lee got elbowed, and JV Casio slipped in transitions. Well, it was just another day in the PBA after all.
- The trio of Paul Lee, Beau Belga, and AZ Reid shone for the Painters here, combining for 74 points as ROS forced a fifth and deciding game in its semis tussle with Alaska.
- Coach Yeng’s crew started red-hot, hitting 7 threes in the first canto before the Aces, behind the sniping of Dondon Hontiveros, stormed back in the second stanza.
- Hontiveros actually led the scoring for Alaska, hitting 7 treys on his way to 21 markers. Cyrus Baguio also carried much of the scoring load, making 7/13 FGs to score 21 as well. Walker wasn’t very effective here, shooting 5/12 from the floor and dropping only 16 points in 34 minutes.
Game recap by Rey Joble/InterAKTV:
RAIN OR SHINE over ALASKA, 123-121 (OT)
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters survived a chippy overtime matchup against Alaska, 123-121, on Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum to send their semis series to a do-or-die Game Five for a shot at the PLDT Home Telpad Governors’ Cup finals.
Beau Belga scored a personal conference-high with 21 points, including the last four points in overtime, and grabbed 10 rebounds to help his team tie their best-of-five series at two games apiece.
Import Arizona Reid scored 32 points to lead the Elasto Painters while Paul Lee also finished with 21.
Rain or Shine, which led by as much 19 points in the first half, looked to be in danger of being eliminated after Alaska scored five straight points to take a 121-117 lead in the extra period.
But the Elasto Painters scored the last six points of the game to force a rubber match and keep their finals hopes alive.
Rain or Shine came out with guns blazing, shooting 7-for-12 from three-point range, including three from Lee, as they lit up the Alaska defense for 38 big points in the first quarter.
They then scored the first five points of the second to push their lead to a high of 19 points, 43-24, after another three-pointer, this time from Jeff Chan.
But Alaska charged back with an 11-0 run to make a game out of it.
Dondon Hontiveros caught fire in the period, knocking down five of six three-point attempts as the Aces came back to within a single point, 60-59, at the half.
The physical nature of the series came to a head in the fourth period, when Alaska import Henry Walker swung an elbow to the back of Lee’s head while fighting through a screen.
Lee was down on the floor for several minutes as Walker was ejected with 6:24 left to play.
The import was sent off with just 16 points to his name.
But some late game heroics from JVee Casio and Cyrus Baguio lifted Alaska as the pair combined to score the last 12 Aces points to send the game into overtime.
There was a scary moment for Casio in the extra period as he slipped and landed awkwardly while going on a 1-on-0 fastbreak that could have given the Aces a two-point lead with 33 seconds left.
The point guard limped out of the game but was able to return.
Hontiveros and Baguio led the Aces with 21 points apiece. Calvin Abueva added 19.
ROS 123 – Reid 32, Belga 21, Lee 21, Almazan 14, Chan 11, Arana 8, Norwood 7, Ibanes 3, Cruz 2, Tiu 2, Rodriguez 2.
ALA 121 – Hontiveros 21, Baguio 21, Abueva 19, Casio 17, Walker 16, Thoss 11, Jazul 6, Manuel 6, Espinas 4, Dela Cruz 0.
QS: 38-24, 60-59, 96-91, 115-115, 123-121 (OT).
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| AZ Reid finds the going tough against a tight Alaska defense. |
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| Dondon Hontiveros nailed 7 of his 10 tries from rainbow country. |
Images by Paul Ryan Tan/Sports 5.
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