Phoenix sends ROS

crashing out of PBA

Governors' Cup
Its the end of the line for Rain or Shine (ROS) as Phoenix grabbed the remaining
ticket to the PBA Governors Cup playoffs via a 105-94 beating of the Elasto Painters
on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Elasto Painters could not find a way to stop Eugene Phelps as the Fuel Masters
import riddled Rain or Shines defense with 40 points to go with his 14 rebounds and
six assists.
Josh Urbiztondo also fired away with 23 points, while leading Phoenix to its first
playoffs appearance.
Coach Ariel Vanguardia said it was their veterans who stepped up for Phoenix this
time.
The whole week I was hard on my veterans because I was telling them we were
winning because of our rookies and our import. Cyrus [Baguio] was struggling, Willie
[Wilson] was struggling and Josh, Vanguardia said in the PBA website.
Im gonna give this to our veterans because we have to match their experience.
They delivered.
It was a heartbreaker for Rain or Shine, which struggled all conference long
following their Commissioners Cup title win.
The defeat snapped the Elasto Painters streak of successive quarterfinals
appearances at 12 conferences.
Josh Dollard had 20 points for Rain or Shine, but his team mates failed to connect as
the locals game seemed in disarray whenever he was on the floor.
Phoenix looked the hungrier team as it led by as many as 18 late in the third canto,
where Urbiztondo led the way for his team with seven points.
But Rain or Shine found its footing in the fourth quarter to pull within 87-92.
It was at that point when Baguio and Wilson delivered the much needed points to
keep the Fuel masters ahead.
Phoenix will tackle top seed TNT KaTropa in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

Meralco rallies vs
Mahindra to claim twice-tobeat
Jared Dillinger came up with the biggest shots in the fourth quarter to help Meralco
clinch the number four spot and the twice-to-beat bonus that goes with it, in the
quarterfinal round of the PBA Governors Cup.
Dillinger was Allen Durhams main support in offense as they towed the Bolts past
Mahindra, 104-99, on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.
Dillinger fired 12 of his 20 points in the pay-off period as Meralco claimed better
placing than Mahindra prior to their best-of-three
face-off in the playoffs starting this Saturday.
We expect another tough game from them, said Meralco coach Norman Black in
the PBA website. All our games against Mahindra this year have been tough so we
expect nothing less on Saturday.
Meralcos Durham topscored with 34 points, with 11 coming in the fourth quarter.
Baser Amer and Chris Newsome also chipped in 16 and 12, respectively.
have to give a lot of credit to AD (Durham), for being consistent, for being the
solid block, the foundation of our team, said Black.
But I also have to give a lot of credit to JD (Dillinger) for coming up with some huge
shots down the stretch.
The Bolts had to fight from 16 points down as the Enforcers pounced on Meralcos
slow start.
But Meralco caught fire in the second half and eventually seized the upper hand late
in the game.
James White paced the Enforcers with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Aldrech Ramos
fired 20 markers.

Adamson stuns NU to
seize solo second
MANILA, Philippines The young Adamson Falcons passed a tough early season test
by defeating National University, 64-51, to climb to solo second place in the UAAP
Season 79 men's basketball tournament Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Kristian Bernardo, who did not play at all in the first half, gave the Falcons a huge lift
in the final quarter when Papi Sarr was forced to sit due to foul trouble, as the
veteran big man hit key buckets to hold off the Bulldogs.
Adamson improved to 3-1, just behind the unbeaten De La Salle Green Archers (40). National U, for its part, suffered a second consecutive defeat and dropped to 2-2,
tied with Ateneo, Far Eastern University, and University of Santo Tomas in the
middle of the pack.

READ: Why DLSUs Rivero and former Lasallians Salem and Subido are
UAAPs hottest lately

"I guess slowly, we're showing a little bit of maturity and character," Adamson
coach Franz Pumaren said after the game. "People may scout us and think of us as a
(Jerrick) Ahanmisi, (Robbie) Manalang, Papi Sarr team, but this time around, the
bench really responded well."
The Falcons led most of the way but were never able to gain much separation, and
the Bulldogs found themselves unlucky to head into the fourth quarter down by two
points, 40-42, as Matthew Aquino flubbed a wide-open lay-up at the buzzer of the
third period.
A three-point play by Mohammed Salim put NU ahead, 43-42, early in the fourth
quarter, but Sean Manganti regained the lead back for Adamson after he tipped in a
miss by Terence Mustre.
The Bulldogs last took the lead with 7:11 left to play thanks to two free throws by
Alfred Aroga, but they committed a breakdown on defense in the next possession
that led to an open lay-up for Bernardo. That basket gave Adamson a 46-45 lead
that they would not relinquish.
"Bernardo made me really look good out there," Pumaren said. "I think he was the
game-changer, scoring big baskets down the stretch."
A reverse lay-up by Chino Mosqueda kept NU within striking distance, but Bernardo
responded with a three-point play to stretch the lead to four, 51-47. A bucket by
Aroga made it a one-possession game with three minutes left, but Bernardo was
there to respond anew, connecting on a lay-up to again push the lead to four points.

National U last threatened with 2:20 to go after Aroga tipped in a miss by J-Jay
Alejandro, but the Falcons were able to work the ball to Jerrick Ahanmisi, who
converted a tough basket while being fouled by Mosqueda. The rookie guard
completed the and-1 play, and Bulldogs faded from there, with Alejandro in
particular committing three turnovers in the final two minutes to doom their cause.
"I'm surprised with the maturity that my players are showing," Pumaren admitted.
"They (NU) made a run, but we didn't run away from the challenge, and we kept our
poise."
Bernardo finished with seven points in just under eight minutes of action, while Papi
Sarr tallied a double-double of 13 points and 17 rebounds. JD Tungcab had 11
points, 10 of which came in the first half to keep Adamson in control.
Aroga had a double-double of his own, scoring 17 points and hauling down 13
boards to make up for his two-point, three-rebound effort in their loss to La Salle last
Sunday. But no other NU player finished in double-digits, and Alejandro their top
offensive option was held scoreless while committing six of the Bulldogs' 20
turnovers in the game.
As a team, Adamson shot 44.44% from the field, and won even though the usually
explosive pair of Ahanmisi and Manalang were limited to a combined 10 points.
They also held NU to only 30.65%, and had a 44-35 advantage on rebounds.
This marks Adamson's best start to a season since Season 74, when they also
opened with a 3-1 record and reached the Final Four.