MANILA – Jhonard Clarito delivered a monster double-double as Rain or Shine Elasto Painters outlasted NLEX Road Warriors, 92-89, to force a do-or-die quarterfinal clash in the PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday night at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
The reigning Most Improved Player finished with 20 points and a career-high 21 rebounds, powering the Elasto Painters past a gritty Road Warriors side to stay in the hunt for a third straight semifinals appearance.
“Dinaan lang namin sa sipag, box out. Tulong-tulong kaming teammates,” said Clarito after the game. “Ang sabi nga sa amin ng coaches ay walang natatalo sa depensa kaya talagang buwis-buhay.”
Adrian Nocum also tallied 20 points, Leonard Santillan chipped in 16, and Andrei Caracut added 10 for the Painters, who will vie for a semis seat in the do-or-die game on Saturday.
With the game tied at 81-all in the closing stretch, Rain or Shine pulled ahead behind key buckets from Clarito and timely free throws from Caracut and Santillan. A basket by Nocum extended the lead to 90-85.
NLEX mounted a final push as Robert Bolick Jr. drilled a four-point shot to pull within 89-90, but Clarito calmly sank two more free throws, and Bolick’s last-gasp four-point attempt missed at the buzzer.
Xyrus Torres led the Road Warriors with 20 points, while Javee Mocon added a double-double of 16 points and 10 boards. Bolick and Brandon Ramirez scored 15 and 11, respectively.
Meanwhile, TNT Tropang 5G kept their Grand Slam bid this season alive with an 89-88 escape over Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots in their separate quarterfinals series.
Kelly Williams surged the Tropang 5G ahead at 89-88 with a split free throw with six seconds left before they completed the tight win by preventing the last-minute shot attempt by Hotshots’ Zavier Lucero.
Roger Pogoy led the way with 30 points, including three three-pointers, Calvin Oftana added a double-double of 21 points and 16 rebounds, Williams tallied 12 points, while Jordan Heading and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser contributed 10 markers apiece for TNT./PN
BOX SCORE:
RAIN OR SHINE 92 – Clarito 20, Nocum 20, Santillan 16, Caracut 10, Mamuyac 7, Tiongson 6, Asistio 5, Porter 4, Norwood 4, Datu 0.
NLEX 89 – Torres 20, Mocon 16, Bolick 15, Ramirez 11, Semerad 9, Bahio 6, Alas 6, Nieto 2, Fajardo 2, Policarpio 2.
Quarterscores: 28-15, 47-37, 69-73, 92-89.
