MANILA — The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters razed a 19-point deficit to inflict a stinging 88-84 defeat on the Barangay Ginebra Kings in Game 1 of their best-of-3 PBA Commissioner's Cup quarterfinals showdown Sunday night. The Painters could advance to the semifinals with another win Tuesday. JR Quinahan led ROS with 17 points while import Pierre Henderson-Niles had a double-double 12 points and 10 boards. But it was Jeff Chan who played the hero's role for the Painters, draining a huge jumper with seconds left to douse Ginebra's comeback hopes. Chan finished with 15 points. LA Tenorio paced Ginebra with 20 points while Japeth Aguilar had 13. The Kings waxed hot at the get-go, with Mark Caguioa leading the charge as Ginebra took a 27-12 lead. Ginebra extended their lead to 19, 35-16, in the second quarter before the Painters began turning things around. ROS took control of the game in the final period, taking an 85-79 lead with less than 4 minutes left. A Tenorio three-pointer and Joe Devance putback enabled Ginebra to cut the lead to, 85-84, with 2:30 remaining. But the Kings' comeback bid suffered a huge blow when coach Tim Cone was slapped with a technical for excessive complaining. Chan converted the free throw before hitting the clutch jumper that sealed the win for the Painters. Tropang TNT 106, Alaska 99 Rookie Troy Rosario exploded with a career-high 31 points, including seven three-pointers, as the Tropang TNT Texters defeated the Alaska Aces, 106-99, in Game 1 of their best-of-3 quarterfinals series. Rosario, this year's No. 2 overall pick, also grabbed seven rebounds and played a crucial role in repulsing a fiery Alaska comeback in the endgame. TNT could finish off Alaska when they collide anew Tuesday. Import David Simon also shone for the Texters, finishing with 24 points, 14 boards, three assists, and two steals. Jayson Castro was brilliant as well, finishing with a double-double 17 points and 12 assists. Ranidel de Ocampo added 13 markers. Import Rob Dozier led Alaska with 22 markers and six rebounds. Calvin Abueva posted 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Abueva was at his best in the fourth quarter when he spearheaded a furious Alaska rally that saw the Aces razed a 15-point TNT lead. Abueva scored six points in the payoff period, including two on a breakway layup that gave them a 94-91 lead. Dozier gave Alaska its last taste of the lead at 97-96, before the Texters detonated a 10-2 bomb, including back-to-back triples from Rosario. Another Rosario three-pointer tied the game at 94-all with 3:05 remaining. With TNT up by just two, 99-97, Rosario delivered another huge basket—a three-point play resulting from a putback of a Castro miss. Free throws by De Ocampo sealed the TNT win. Games Monday: NLEX Road Warriors (7th seed) vs. Meralco Bolts (2nd seed; twice-to-beat advantage) and Star Hotshots (8th seed) vs. San Miguel Beermen (top seed; twice-to-beat advantage).
