MANILA, Philippines — James Yap kept B-Meg afloat all game, then Peter June Simon delivered in the clutch as B-Meg narrowly escaped Rain or Shine, 102-100, Friday in the 2011 PBA Philippine Cup.
Yap blistered with 32 points on a 12-of-20 shooting while Simon finished with 16 points, including a triple with a minute left which gave the Llamados their final lead.
“One of those games every shot counted. They’re a tough opponent, they’re tough guys,” said coach Tim Cone. “James is spectacular again tonight. PJ capped it for us.”
B-Meg, though, had to hold its breath in the final 5.7 seconds after a miss by Mark Barroca gave the Elastopainters a chance for the winning basket.
Barroca also came through with a solid performance of 14 points, four rebounds and two assists for the Llamados, who are in a prime position to grab one of the two top spots.
Rain or Shine, on the other hand, faced another down-the-wire finish and failed to snatch the victory on a botched triple by Paul Lee.
The sensational rookie led with 21 points, even as his triple with 3:20 left in the game gave the Elastopainters a 98-95 advantage.
But Lee missed back-to-back triples down the stretch that could have bailed out Rain or Shine.
Rain or Shine clawed back from a 3-24 deficit early in the first quarter, and stayed toe-to-toe with B-Meg until the last minute when the squad got its rhythm.
The scores:
B-MEG 102 – Yap J. 32, Simon 16, Barroca 14, Urbiztondo 11, Raymundo 11, Pingris 10, De Vance 3, Reavis 3, Yap R. 2, De Ocampo 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 100 – Lee 21, Buenafe 12, Matias 10, Rodriguez 9, Arana 9, Tang 8, Norwood 7, Belga 7, Chan 6, Quinahan 6, Cruz 4, Ibanes 1.
Quarterscores: 30-13, 51-49, 79-77, 102-100