ROS, Fuller douse Ginebra; NLEX stretches unbeaten run against San Miguel

John Aldrit Cullat

Aaron Fuller led the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, while NLEX Road Warriors rolled out a four game winning streak against San Miguel Beermen as both squads poured cold water on their rivals and forced them to sober up in a hurry in PBA Season 50 Governor’s Cup at Smart Araneta Coliseum, July 26.

Fuller erupted for a double-double finish with 37 points, and 12 rebounds while Caelan Tiongson sizzled 21 points to pull-off a 110–99 victory over Ginebra, powering Elasto Painters to their second straight win following back-to-back losses in the conference.

“We started the conference at 0-2 and we started this game just focused on winning. We have a good import who attracted defense and he opened up the spaces for us,” said Fuller, who buried 15-of-25 shooting in 38 minute-game.

Meanwhile, ROS head coach, Yeng Guiao shared that he had told his team they needed to win the game if they wanted to get back in contention, or at least give themselves a chance to make the Top Four in their group.

Guiao’s squad painted the third quarter red, posting 36 points to build an 89–73 cushion heading into the fourth period.

That comfortable lead nearly blew up as Ginebra poured their hearts out, cutting the deficit to nine, 92–101, but Adrian Nocum went full-throttle in the clutch, registering nine of his 13 points in the final four minutes to seal a 110-99 win. 

‘Mighty Mouse’ and NLEX’s road clearing operation

On the other side, the road stayed clear for coach Jimmy “The Mighty Mouse” Alapag, as the  Road Warriors carved out a 110-96 victory against Beermen, extending their record to 4–0, and cementing their status as the only undefeated team in the current conference.

DeQuan Jones and Schonny Winston dropped 51 points combined that set the tempo for NLEX in the whole game.

Beermen sparked a chance in the fourth frame after trimming the gap to eight, 92–84 in 7:31 minute, but lost the opportunity after a Robert Bolick’s late-surge who answered a 7–0 run all by himself, 99–84.

NLEX went on a decisive run as three two-pointers from Jones pushed their lead to 110–93 with 1:11 minute left, and the Beermen never mounted another charge.

Jericho Cruz sank a lone free-throw, followed by Paolo Hernandez jumper to trim the deficit to 110–96, but San Miguel squandered four charity-shots in the final 30 seconds to seal their fate.

“Really proud of our guys. I think anytime you play a team like San Miguel, with all of their championship experience, it’s always a great test for a young team,” said Alapag, as NLEX delivered SMB’s first loss in the conference.

NLEX will face Converge FiberXERS on the first day of August while Rain or Shine will test its might against the Magnolia Hotshots on July 31, both at MOA Arena.