By ADRIAN STEWART CO
Jayson David made his baskets when it mattered the most as Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings scored a 108-107 win over Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the 2023 PBA on Tour at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City on Sunday night, June 25.
Struggling to find his offense all night long, the sophomore forward attacked the basket for a tough layup to pull the Gin Kings to within 106-107 with 28 seconds left in the fourth period.
Following a defensive stop on the other end, Gin Kings’ Jeremiah Gray dished out a pass to Gray, who drilled another tough basket to give his team the advantage with four ticks remaining in the game.
The Painters had two chances to snatch the victory, but Gray deflected an intended pass to Rain or Shine’s Leonard Santillan before his teammate Nicholas Demusis missed on a jumper at the buzzer.
David finished the game with six points, five rebounds and two assists, one steal and a block as Barangay Ginebra scored back-to-back victories to notch their third win in six matches.
Von Pessumal top-scored with 29 points, including four triples, Gray fell short of triple-double with 19 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, while Nard John Pinto and Aljon Mariano had 14 and 13 points, respectively, for the Gin Kings.
Demusis and Gian Mamuyac tallied 16 points each, Caracut added 13 markers, while Nambatac, Leonard Santillan and Beau Belga had 12, 11 and 10, respectively, as the Painters dropped to 4-1.
In the first game, Blackwater Bossing avoided a fourth quarter collapse to escape with a 92-90 victory over Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters. The Bossing moved up to 4-3, while the Fuel Masters dropped to 3-4.
Leading by as much as 12 points at 87-75 after a triple by Mike Ayonayon, the Bossing were stunned by a furious fight back from the Fuel Masters, which cut the deficit to 90-92 via two free throws by Sean Manganti.
The Fuel Masters still had a chance to force an extension after Manganti intercepted the ball from Bossing, but he also turned the ball over to allow the Blackwater to survive the match.
Jeth Troy Rosario led the Bossing with 24 points to go with eight rebounds, while Ayonayon, Jvee Casio and Rashawn McCarthy chipped in 13 markers apiece, including three triples apiece.
GINEBRA 108 — Pessumal 29, Gray 19, Pinto 14, Mariano 13, R. Aguilar 9, Salcedo 8, Onwubere 7, David 6, Dillinger 3, Gumaru 0, Aurin 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 107 — Mamuyac 16, Demusis 16, Caracut 13, Nambatac 12, Santillan 11, Belga 10, Asistio 8, Borboran 8, Belo 5, Ildefonso 4, Clarito 4.
Quarterscores: 25-22, 47-46, 79-84, 108-107./ASC, WDJ