The four-point effect just showed how important it could be in the PBA Philippine Cup.
Rain or Shine escaped Titan Ultra, 112-111, at Ynares Sports Center here courtesy of four free throws from Anton Asistio in the endgame on Sunday night.
When the Elasto Painters needed a three-pointer to tie the game at 111-all in the dying seconds, they went to Asistio, and he gave them more than what they needed.
‘We knew they were going to foul so we told them, when you’re about to feel you’re going to get fouled, you put up a shot,’ coach Yeng Guiao said. ‘That’s exactly what Anton did.’ The Giant Risers led by as much as 19 points before Rain or Shine’s gargantuan fourth quarter surge.
Titan Ultra was still up, 107-98, with 2:54 left after a four-point conversion by Calvin Abueva. But what had been their weapon earlier turned out to be their undoing in the end.
Buckets from Jhonard Clarito and Adrian Nocum cut the deficit to 111-108 with 4.3 seconds remaining, leaving the Elasto Painters with the possession and a chance to tie the game with a triple.
Asistio then found himself at the top of the key against Joshua Munzon, launched a shot, drew a foul and got sent to the line for four free throws.
He calmly drained all four to finish with 11 points and lift Rain or Shine to a 3-1 record.
Helping the guard out of Ateneo were Nocum and Santillan, who finished with 24 and 21 points, respectively. Gabe Norwood also had a double-double in the win with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The Giant Risers fell to their fourth straight loss, dropping to a 1-4 card for the conference, but not without the efforts of Abueva, who finished with a double-double of 31 points and 18 rebounds.