IN the end, Rain or Shine held on to its badge as a top seed from its group in the elims play and found its way to the PBA Governors' Cup best-of-seven semifinals.
The Elasto Painters outlasted the Magnolia Hotshots in a toe-to-toe battle, putting in a tougher stand at the finish and carving out a 113-103 victory to advance to the Last Four versus titleholder TNT Tropang Giga.
Andrei Caracut scored six of his 14 points inside the final two minutes in a big help as Rain or Shine beat Magnolia in a decider in their best-of-five quarterfinals matchup before a good Saturday crowd at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.
Left to be decided is the last spot in the Final Four to be disputed in a knockout duel by San Miguel Beer and Converge at the same venue Sunday.
Awaiting the result of the Beermen-FiberXers face-off winner is Barangay Ginebra.
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Now secured with their places in the other semis pairing are TNT and Rain or Shine, the top teams from their respective groups in the elimination round.
While the Tropang Giga needed just four games to clear the way to the semis versus the NLEX Road Warriors, the Elasto Painters had to go the full distance, needing willpower to deliver the killer blow on the Hotshots.
"Proud ako as they competed and fought it out and hindi sila bumigay under pressure. It's the fighting heart that these guys showed," said ROS coach Yeng Guiao.
Somehow, youth exuberance prevailed over experience, with Guiao's young crew upending Magnolia's grizzled warriors led by Paul Lee, Mark Barroca and Calvin Abueva.
It didn't help that Magnolia missed the services of the injury-hit Zavier Lucero in the last two games.
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Aaron Fuller asserted himself at the paint and came through with 26 points and nine rebounds as Jhonard Clarito and Adrian Nocum added 17 points apiece, Caracut 14, Leonard Santillan 12 and Keith Datu 11.
Javari Bird led the losing team with 23 points and 15 rebounds.
Coming from a 129-100 rout the last time, the Hotshots sprang out of the opening gate and posted an early double-digit spread at 23-11.
But the Elasto Painters hung in there, persevering and making an endeavor to close in at 52-55 at the half, grabbed the upperhand at 85-83 at the end of the third, and fought to the very end.(SB)
The Scores :
RAIN OR SHINE 113 - Fuller 26, Clarito 17, Nocum 17, Caracut 14, Santillan 12, Datu 11, Belga 11, Lemetti 5, Mamuyac 2, Asistio 1, Norwood 0.
MAGNOLIA 103 - Bird 23, Abueva 16, Ahanmisi 15, Sangalang 12, Lee 9, Dionisio 9, Dela Rosa 9, Barroca 6, Eriobu 4, Mendoza 0, Reavis 0.
QUARTERS : 20-29, 52-55, 85-83, 113-103
