MANILA---Smart Gilas Pilipinas cut loose in the third period before fending off Rain or Shine’s late chase for a 99-94 triumph yesterday that secured the national team’s slot in the next round of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
The young nationals rolled to a remarkable fifth straight victory with guards JV Casio and Chris Tiu orchestrating the second-half breakaway at the Cuneta Astrodome.
“We are now in a situation where we can go for No. 1 or No. 2,” said national coach Rajko Toroman.
In the second game, import Champ Oguchi nailed a contested go-ahead triple with 20.1 ticks remaining to lift Meralco past Derby Ace, 89-86, the Bolts first win in five game.
Mac Cardona sealed victory for meralco—which overcame a double-digit lead in a heated closing period—with two free throws, eight seconds left in the game.
“I felt like we didn’t give up on that,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio whose wards trailed, 73-83, four minutes left in the fourth. “Oguchi bailed us out big time.”
Casio exploded with 29 points built on a sizzling 5-of-7 clip from the three-point range, on top of three rebounds and four assists to power Smart Gilas.
Tiu also drained 22 markers, including a key triple that needed a lucky bounce to give Gilas a 96-88 cushion with 53 seconds remaining.
The rallying Elasto Painters still closed in at 96-92 with 14.8 ticks left following quick shots from import Hassan Adams and Jeff Chan, before Tiu kept Gilas ahead by nailing three of four foul shots in the dwindling seconds.
Marcus Douthit, the 6-foot-10 American who has just been granted Filipino citizenship, remained as dominating to finish with 23 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks that helped Gilas stay as the only unbeaten squad in the 10-team tournament.
Toroman reiterated he anticipated a tight match against the Elasto Painters
“Like I said, Rain or Shine is a very respectable team,” said Toroman. “Good players, good import. But at the end of the day, we deserved to win.”
Smart Gilas—whose list of victims include powerhouses Talk ‘N Text, Alaska and San Miguel Beer—pulled away from a 60-60 deadlock with 10 unanswered points in a three-minute span late in the third quarter for a 70-60 spread.
Chris Lutz added 10 points in Smart Gilas’ strongest start in two PBA stints.
The Elasto Painters, skidding to their second loss, fell to a share of fourth with Ginebra at 3-2.
Douthit, meanwhile, just gained automatic Filipino citizenship after his application for naturalization, approved by both houses of Congress, lapsed into law last week.
The development now made Douthit eligible to join the national squad in the Fiba Asia Championship in Wuhan, China, on Sept. 15 to 25, when the country shoots for a continental slot for the 2012 Olympics.
The scores:
First Game
SMART GILAS 99—Casio 29, Douthit 23, Tiu 22, Lutz 10, Barracael 6, Barroca 3, Lassiter 2, Ramos 2, Aguilar 2, Slaughter 0, Ababou 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 94—Buenafe 16, Kramer 15, Adams 14, Araña 14, Belga 10, Ferriols 8, Jazul 6, Chan 6, Rodriguez 3, Tang 2, Cruz 0, Norwood 0.
Quarters: 24-21, 47-47, 74-64, 99-94
Second Game
MERALCO 89—Oguchi 29, Taulava 15, Mercado 13, Cardona 13, Hugnatan 6, Espinas 5, Ross 4, Gamalinda 2, Isip 2, Aquino 0, Ritualo 0.
DERBY ACE 86—Simon 17, Pingris 16, Canaleta 12, Raymundo 10, Spears 9, Yap R. 9, Escobal 8, Adducul 3, Fernandez 2, Gaco 0, Salvador 0.
Quarters: 17-15, 38-37, 62-62, 89-86
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