Young guns propel ROS to 2-0 lead

MANILA, Philippines — Rain or Shine sprung another surprise on Magnolia, unleashing young guns Norbert Torres and Ed Daquioag as spearheads in romping off with an emphatic 93-80 triumph for a comfortable 2-0 lead in their PBA Philippine Cup semifinal showdown last night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

If Javee Mocon shone brightest when they stunned the Hotshots, 84-77, in Game One, Torres and Daquioag were the game-changers in the second match, delivering big buckets to help the Elasto Painters pull away to leads that reached as high as 25.

Torres started things off by knocking down all of his four attempts from beyond the arc to finish the first 24 minutes with 16 big points while Daquioag exploded in the middle quarters to tally a team-high 19.

“We started the game on fire. Norbert came out, he was hitting his three-point shots and scored 16 points, and I think that threw them off,” said ROS coach Caloy Garcia.

“And of course our defense was the key today. We’re able to limit the Magnolia guards.(Mark) Barroca, (Justin) Melton, and even (Paul) Lee, we’re able to slow him down today. I think in order for us to win this series, we have to be consistent in being a good defensive team,” Garcia added.

ROS’ defense held Lee to 12, Melton to five, and Barroca to two. Robert Herndon and Ian Sangalang took the scoring cudgels for the Hotshots with 13 apiece.

On the other hand, the Elasto Painters also got significant numbers from Rey Nambatac (12), Gabe Norwood (10) and James Yap (eight).

Garcia said he wasn’t surprised that Torres and Daquioag, along with their shock troopers, are ready when called to action.

“At the start of the season, I told them to trust one another. During the eliminations, bihira namin gamitin sila Rey at Ed. We talked about it and I told them you have to be ready because every game, everybody has to come out,” he said.

Torres, Daquioag and Nambatac presided over a searing second-quarter assault to put ROS on top, 43-29. It was their jumpoff point to a hot third-quarter, where Yap eventually joined the fray to stretch the lead to 70-55.The Elasto Painters enjoyed their biggest lead at 84-59.

NOTES: James Yap drilled in two treys in the second half to up his career total to 1,139, thus moving past Dondon Hontiveros at No. 4  in the list of PBA players with the most career three-pointers made. Up next for the two-time MVP winner is a chase to jump past Ronnie Magsanoc (1,171) at No. 3. Way ahead at No. 1 and No. 2 are Jimmy Alapag (1,250) and Allan Caidic (1,242).

The scores: 

Rain or Shine 93 – Daquioag 19, Torres 16, Nambatac 12, Norwood 10, Yap 8, Mocon 7, Rosales 6, Borboran 6, Ponferada 3, Alejandro 3, Maiquez 2, Belga 1, Onwubere 0.

Magnolia 80 – Sangalang 13, Herndon 13, Lee 12, Calisaan 10, Dela Rosa 7, Melton 5, Brondial 4, Ramos 3, Abundo 3, Reavis 2, Barroca 2, Gamalinda 2, Pascual 2, Jalalon 2.

Quarterscores: 19-18, 50-41, 73-57, 93-80