Adrian Nocum rolled in the go-ahead bucket with 5.6 seconds left to lift Rain or Shine to a 98-97 victory over Magnolia in a thrilling battle between Group B teams in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Friday.
The star guard attacked Raffy Verano’s defense to put themselves ahead for good, coming through with a solid response to the three-point play conversion by Ian Sangalang on the other end that gave the Hotshots the 97-96 lead.
And the Elasto Painters would make sure that their teammate’s heroics won’t go down in vain, with Jhonard Clarito and import Aaron Fuller denying KJ Buffen from getting any proper look at the basket as the final buzzer sounded.
Nocum’s clutch play capped a career-high performance as the former Mapua guard finished with 31 points alongside nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals to lead RoS to its third win in a row after a 0-2 start in the tourney.
(C) PBA Images
“Nagtitiwala naman kami sa diskarte niya,” head coach Yeng Guiao said of the 26-year-old. “Sabi ko nga, nag-i-improve na ‘yung decision-making niya.”
Deo Cuajao backed him up with 15 points, with Luis Villegas coming through with 12 as he proved to be their magic ‘bunot’ with his long bombs.
Their contributions proved crucial for a team whose import was effectively contained, as Aaron Fuller was held to just 5-of-19 shooting from the field and finished with 14 points, though he still made his presence felt on the boards with 12 rebounds.
Another issue they overcame was Caelan Tiongson’s poor shooting, in which he went 1-of-10 from three-point distance and only had six points after firing 21 markers on five triples in their 110-99 rout of Ginebra the last time out.
“Hirap kaming pasahan ng bola sa ilalim si Aaron tapos ang daming turnovers, na-aanticipate na nila… at the same time ‘yung three-point shooting namin, medyo mababa ang percentage,” lamented Guiao. “Pero tiyinaga namin.”
(C) PBA Images
Rain or Shine will try to stretch its winning run to four when it takes on Meralco this Sunday, August 2, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum in the first game of another twin-bill offering headlined by the Manila Clasico affair at 7:30 p.m.
Buffen, on the other hand, had 31 points and 17 rebounds for Magnolia, which absorbed its third loss in four outings and fell to the bottom of Group B.
Zavier Lucero had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Sangalang made 14 points while Paul Lee and Mark Barroca added 13 and 11 markers, respectively.
The Scores:
Rain or Shine 98 – Nocum 31, Cuajao 15, Fuller 14, Villegas 12, Manaytay 6, Tiongson 6, Caracut 5, Clarito 5, David 3, Asistio 1, Malonzo 0.
Magnolia 97 – Buffen 31, Lucero 15, Sangalang 14, Lee 13, Barroca 11, Lastimosa 9, Jopia 4, Dela Rosa 0, Alfaro 0, Verano 0, Andrada 0, Gomez de Liano 0.
Quarterscores: 20-29, 56-56, 81-81, 98-97.
