Rain or Shine import Aaron Fuller during Game 3 of the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals against Magnolia.–PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines–Rain or Shine made all the necessary stops on Sunday night to pull out a 111-106 overtime victory over Magnolia and take a 2-1 lead in their PBA Governors’ Cup best-of-five quarterfinals series.
Import Aaron Fuller, doubtful ahead of the match due to a left eye injury he sustained in Laguna two nights ago, scored nine of his total 29 points in the extra period to put away the pesky Hotshots in a hotly-contested affair at Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
“Aaron provided a lot of inspiration and encouragement. They (locals) know what he went through. He was doubtful until this afternoon. I was told by the trainer that he was a bit better and he wanted to play,” Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao said of his reinforcement.
READ: PBA: Magnolia pummels Rain or Shine to tie quarterfinals at 1-1
“Aaron’s really a warrior. He’s quiet but he plays with a big heart. He’s able to control his emotions and he was able to carry our team on his shoulders. We won’t reach this point if he didn’t play. But we also prepared without him … The warrior in him, I guess, just pushed him to play and of course, he was instrumental in this game. So I’m glad we were able to hold our emotions, we were able to play through the end-game,” he went on.
Inspired by their injured teammate, Jhonard Clarito and Gian Mamuyac also came through in overtime, hitting pressure-packed free throws to cap their respective commendable outings. The pair of guards both finished with at least 15 points and were integral in putting the game away from Magnolia’s reach.
READ: PBA: Rain or Shine survives Magnolia in quarterfinals Game 1
Andrei Caracut and Santi Santillan also finished with double-digit scores for the ElastoPainters, who moved a win away from advancing to the tournament’s final four.
Magnolia refused to go away behind import Jabari Bird’s 31 points and 10 rebounds, and Zavier Lucero’s 24 points and nine rebounds. Both, however, hardly had any help as the Rain or Shine slowly pulled away inside the final 1:45 of the extra period.
Rain or Shine takes the first of its two chances at a semis berth this Tuesday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Malate, Manila.