ROS spoils Magnolia bid to reclaim lead in PBA Cup

MANILA -- Rain Or Shine handed Magnolia its second straight defeat in the PBA Philippine Cup with a 101-95 win at the Calasiao Sports Complex in Calasiao, Pangasinan on Saturday.

The Elasto Painters thought they already shut down the Hotshots by halftime, but they still held on as the Hotshots' late fourth quarter rally fell short.

ROS limited Magnolia to only 14 points in the second quarter and opened a 47-35 lead at the half, eventually stretching it to as high as 21 points, 67-46, midway through the third period.

The E-Painters were still clinging to a 96-80 advantage with four minutes and 59 seconds left when the Hotshots went on a 13-4 run to cut the lead down to seven, 100-93, with 1:23 to go.

Magnolia even had a chance to cut the lead further when Aldrech Ramos stripped the ball from Beau Belga with one minute and 11 seconds to go.

But Mark Barroca botched a wide open layup that helped spell doom for the team as ROS hung on.

Raymond Almazan led the E-Painters, who avoided a long logjam at 4-4 and inched closer with their victims and even joint leaders Alaska Aces and San Miguel Beermen at 5-3, with 22 points, six rebounds, one assist, and two blocks.

Ramos' 27-point blast off the bench went into naught as the Hotshots failed to reclaim the top spot and slipped to third place at 6-3.

The result opened a possibility for Alaska, which is set to face NLEX later Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, for a chance to go on top of the standings.

Box Scores:
Rain Or Shine 101-Almazan 23, Yap 13, Norwood 12, Ahanmisi 12, Tiu 11, Daquioag 9, Borboran 5, Trollano 5, Ponferada 5, Nambatac 3, Belga 3
Magnolia 95-Ramos 27, Dela Rosa 15, Jalalon 14, Barroca 10, Sangalang 8, Pingris 7, Melton 6, Mendoza 5, Reavis 3, Gamalinda 0, Simon 0, Pascual 0, Brondial 0
Quarterscores: 26-21, 46-35, 77-66, 101-95 (PNA)