Not even Reil Cervantes’s 34 points could save Kia
from NLEX’s wrath, while the Elasto-Painters ran roughshod all over the Gin
Kings in 2014 PBA Philippine Cup action last night!
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| Big men Asi Taulava and Beau Belga both controlled their respective games last night. |
Game Capsules (adapted from InterAKTV):
NLEX ROAD WARRIORS over KIA SORENTO, 88-80
The NLEX Road Warriors survived an explosive
offensive performance from Kia’s Reil Cervantes, banking on a late flurry of
free throws to escape with the win, 88-80, on Sunday at the SMART-Araneta
Coliseum. Veteran center Asi Taulava had 19 points and 14 rebounds, while KG
Cañaleta added 16 off the bench as NLEX snapped a three-game skid to close out
their PBA Philippine Cup elimination round campaign with a 4-7 record.
Cervantes had a career-high 34 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, but
it wasn’t enough to lift the struggling Sorento, who fell to 1-10. It was a
tight affair all the way, with Kia even leading at the half, 42-40, but NLEX
proved steadier down the stretch, leaning on its veterans to end the elims on a
high note. The Sorento did pretty well from beyond the arc here, hitting 33% of
their trey attempts. Cervantes and Buensuceso combined for 7 of those threes.
Buensuceso tallied 18 markers off the pine, while Bagatsing also did well in a
reserve role, dropping 11 markers.
Line of the
Game: Reil Cervantes - 34 points, 7
rebounds, 1 steal. |
| Asi Taulava turns the corner against Kyle Pascual. |
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| JR Buensuceso reacts after hitting a big trey against NLEX. |
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| KG Canaleta attacks the defense of former collegiate rival Rich Alvarez. |
RAIN OR SHINE ELASTO-PAINTERS over BGY. GINEBRA GIN KINGS, 100-90
The Rain or Shine Elasto-Painters ensured their
outright entry into the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals after fending off
Barangay Ginebra, 100-90, in their last elimination round assignment. Beau
Belga scored a game-high 21 points, including a stretch of seven consecutive
points in the fourth quarter that all but put the game away for the Painters.
He connected on 4-of-6 from three-point range and grabbed five boards in the
contest. Paul Lee added 16 points, while Jeff Chan and JR Quiñahan each added
11 markers for Rain or Shine, which will finish no lower than second place with
a 9-2 record. Coach Yeng Guiao’s crew never trailed in this one, leading by
double-digits early and never really looking back. ROS was grossly outworked on
the glass here, 47-56, but they compensated by shooting 10 triples and 55% from
the 2-point area. The Painters also dominated on defense, forcing 16 Ginebra
turnovers and limiting the Kings to 38% FG shooting. Ginebra, for its part, was
paced by LA Tenorio, Greg Slaughter, and Japeth Aguilar, each of whom scored 14
markers.
Line of the
Game: Beau Belga - 21 points, 5
rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 4 triples.
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| Beau Belga hit four big threes against Ginebra last night. |
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| Jeff Chan helped ROS clinch an automatic semis berth after beating Ginebra. |
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| Former collegiate teammates Ryan Araña and Joseph Yeo fight for the loose ball. |
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