Bloody but unbowed.
Aaron Fuller played through a torn cornea on his left eye and powered Rain or Shine to a wild and dramatic 111-106 overtime victory over Magnolia to get on the brink of a semifinals return in Game 3 of the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Sunday, Sept. 29.
Even questionable ahead of the contest after his eye got poked in Game 2, Fuller displayed resilience and unwavering resolve, pouring nine of his 29 points in the extension before clutch free throws from Gian Mamuyac and Jhonard Clarito sealed the deal for the Elasto Painters.
Rain or Shine, after leading for most of the regulation, suddenly found itself trailing by three, 104-101, in the overtime before Fuller took over and scored on a huge and-1 play and then buried pressure-packed free throws to give the Elasto Painters the lead for good, and eventually a pivotal 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.
Fuller actually finished with a double-double with 11 rebounds along with six assists. Clarito also starred for Rain or Shine with 18 points – none bigger than his last two free throws which he got after a game-preserving steal on the inbound of Magnolia with six ticks left.
Four other players got into double figures scoring for ROS with Mamuyac and Andrei Caracut adding 15 apiece, Santi Santillan with 13 and Beau Belga with 10.
The game, however, did not end without drama as the Hotshots contested some crucial calls down the stretch.
With Magnolia down by two, 106-104, Zav Lucero, who sent the game to the overtime with a huge four-pointer in regulation, got a free lane to the basket and went for a layup. He was, however, blocked by Clarito which prompted the Hotshots to foul and stop the clock.
Upon review, Lucero’s layup was counted due to a goaltending violation but the foul, which sent Mamuyac to the foul line with 10 seconds left, cannot be overturned.
Magnolia still had its chances though after Mamuyac split his charities but Fuller grabbed the offensive rebound and was sent to the foul line for two shots which he coolly sank.
Import Jabari Bird led the way for Magnolia with 31 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and a block while Lucero, who also sustained a bloody cut above his right eyebrow, added 24 points – 11 of which he poured in the fourth quarter when Magnolia rallied back from a double-digit deficit.
The Scores (OT):
RAIN OR SHINE 111 – Fuller 29, Clarito 18, mamuyac 15, Caracut 15, Santillan 13, Belga 10, Nocum 6, Norwood 5, Tiongson 0, Lemetti 0.
MAGNOLIA 106 – Bird 31, Lucero 24, Dionisio 12, Sangalang 9, Ahanmisi 9, Abueva 8, Barroca 6, Lee 6, Mendoza 1, Dela Rosa 0, Reavis 0.
QUARTERS : 29-18, 50-38, 73-66, 98-98, 111-106
