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[av_heading heading=’RoS dominates Elite to grab PBA Cup solo lead ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
By ADRIAN STEWART CO
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MANILA – The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters bucked a slow start to score a 107-93 victory over the Blackwater Elite in the 2016-2017 Oppo PBA Philippine Cup on Friday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Negrense James Yap led the way with 15 points, 10 markers coming in the first half, for the Painters, which surged to solo first place in the standings with a 3-1 win-loss slate.
Raymond Almazan chipped in double-double 14 points and 16 rebounds, while Jewel Ponferrada, Jeffrei Chan and Celedonio Trollano had 13, 11 and 11 points, respectively, for the Painters.
The Elite went on a strong start behind Mac Belo and Arthur Dela Cruz for an 8-2 lead. The Painters answered back to snatch the lead at 16-14 on a Ponferrada basket but back-to-back hits by Raymond Aguilar gave the Elite a 19-16 lead.
Both teams went on a tight exchange early in the second frame for a slim 31-30 lead by the Painters before widening the gap to 46-39 at halftime on conversions by Yap and Mike Tolomia.
The Elite came to within three early in the third frame but the Painters went on a run behind Gabe Norwood, Jericho Cruz and Ponferrada for a 75-59 lead on a Trollano buzzer-beating triple.
The Painters pulled away further in the final quarter as conversions from Yap, Trollano and Belga built its largest lead at 99-77. The Elite made a last-minute run but only came to as close as 14 points.
Meanwhile, the PBA Commissioner’s Office has approved the one-on-one trade that sends Elvin Jake Pascual to the Alaska Aces while Rome Dela Rosa has been shipped to the Star Hotshots./PN
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