By Ivan Stewart Saldajeno/PNA
MANILA — The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and Phoenix Fuel Masters met contrasting fates on Wednesday night in their quest to capture a twice-to-beat advantage in the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup quarterfinals.
The Fuel Masters subdued the Magnolia Hotshots, 89-87, but the Elasto Painters fell prey to the Columbian Dyip, 82-85, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
In the curtain-raiser, Columbian shocked ROS after countering a sluggish start with a brilliant performance in the second and third quarters before holding its opponent down the stretch.
Rashawn McCarthy made 22 points, five rebounds, two assists, and one steal for the Dyip, which moved up to 4-5, bolstering its own bid for a quarterfinal spot.
Jack Corpuz ended up with 12 markers, eight boards, one dime, three blocks, and one steal off the bench, while CJ Perez, despite a scoring struggle, had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds with three assists, two steals, and one block.
Mark Borboran had a season-high 21 markers, four rebounds, and one swipe for the E-Painters, which slipped to 7-3.
In the nightcap, Jason Perkins scored the eventual game-winning shot as Phoenix came back five points down in the last two minutes to beat Magnolia.
However, it was Calvin Abueva’s good all-around performance that shone brightly for the now 8-1 Fuel Masters as he put up 24 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
The win pushed them to within a win from the coveted Top 2 spot.
Paul Lee had 16 points, two rebounds, three assists, and one steal for the Hotshots, but he committed a crucial turnover and missed a three-point try at the final buzzer to cap what had been a so-so performance from him.
He had five turnovers in total and was 2-for-10 from long range.
