By REYNALD MAGALLON
Japeth Aguilar rescued Barangay Ginebra from the teeth of a huge Blackwater upset, drilling a buzzer-beating jumper to come away with a 101-99 victory in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City, Friday, May 23.
With the game tied at 99-all, Scottie Thompson broke down the Bossing defense and then found the wide open Aguilar for a midrange jumper at the left corner to bail out the Kings who listed their third straight win for a 5-2 record.
Aguilar dropped 22 points and six rebounds while Scottie Thompso added 18 points and 10 assists.
Troy Rosario was also a thorn to the side of his former team with 18 while Jamie Malonzo had a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds and Stephen Holt with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Aguilar’s game-winning shot spoiled the 32-point explosion of Sedrick Barefield and the huge three-pointer from Troy Malilin who tied the game at 99-all with 19 seconds left on the clock.
Meanwhile, NLEX staved off a late push from Converge and hacked out an 88-83 escape to also stay hot in the all-Filipino conference
The Road Warriors led by as many as 18 points but still had to rely on the clutch plays from Robert Bolick in the waning minutes to douse a furious fourth quarter rally from the FiberXers.
With the win, NLEX notched its sixth straight victory, enough to grab a share of the lead with Magnolia with similar 6-1 records atop the standings.
Bolick was all over the floor for the Road Warriors, registering a near triple-double of 19 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds to go with a steal and a block while Xyrus Torres provided ample support with 18 points spiked by five triples.
Anthony Semerad and Javee Mocon added 10 apiece.
The Road Warriors enjoyed a 78-56 lead in the third frame but the FiberXers refused to waive the white flag and went on 14 unanswered points to cut within single digits.
