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BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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MANILA – Ryan Araña and Alex Mallari conspired in the overtime period as Mahindra Floodbuster notched its first win in the 2016-2017 Oppo PBA Philippine Cup at the expense of the Blackwater Elite, 97-93, on Christmas Day at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Araña opened the scoring in the extension period with a triple for an 86-83 Floodbuster lead.
After an exchange of misses from both squads, James Sena drained a corner jumper to trim the deficit to 86-85.
Mallari then converted two straight layups to increase Floodbuster’s edge to 90-85, with just under a minute to go in the match before Araña and Nico Salva sealed the maiden victory with free throws.
Mallari, an off-season transferee from the Star Hotshots, finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block for Floodbuster, which improved to a 1-5 win-loss slate.
Araña chipped in 19 markers, including two triples, while Salva contributed 15 points for Floodbuster, which struggled heavily after sending away its key players during the off-season.
From a tightly contested first half, with the score tied at 41-all, the Elite gained headways in the third frame behind Ronjay Buenafe and Nard John Pinto to build a 66-59 advantage.
The Elite then built its largest lead at 81-69 on conversions by Mac Belo, but the Floodbuster responded with conversions from Mallari and Salva to tie the count at 83-all.
Arthur Dela Cruz led the way with 18 points, while Pinto chipped in 15 markers for the Elite, whose two-game winning run was snapped to slide down to a 4-3 win-loss record./PN
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