MANILA — The TNT Texters suddenly caught fire late in the game to stun the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 101-98, Wednesday night in the 2016 PBA Governors' Cup. Jayson Castro saved his best for last, knocking down the game-winning three-pointer with less than a minute left to cap off an 11-0 run that allowed the Texters to surge past the Painters after trailing by 14 points early in the final quarter. The Gilas star also sparkled on defense, blocking a three-pointer from comebacking Paul Lee that could have sent the game into overtime. Castro finished with 19 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, and two blocks. American import Mario Little added 18 points, 11 boards, and three assists while TNT's Asian reinforcement Mike Madanly chimed in 17 markers. The victory was all the more remarkable since the Texters played minus injured key players Troy Rosario, Matt Rosser, and Kelly Williams. On the other hand, Rain or Shine played with an intact, healthy lineup. ROS coach Yeng Guiao made controversial moves late in the game that appeared to have led to his boys' collapse. The fiery coach inexplicably benched the team's high-scoring import Dior Lowhorn in the last three minutes of the game and only sent him back with two seconds left when his team's loss was already a foregone conclusion. Moreover, Guiao refused to call timeouts down the stretch that could have at least slowed down the Texters' momentum. Lowhorn still led the Painters with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Manhindra 108, GlobalPort 98 The Mahindra Enforcers notched their second straight win, beating the undermanned GlobalPort Batang Pier, 108-98, to gain a share of the early lead in the tournament. GlobalPort badly missed the services of its top scorer Terrence Romeo, who was down with stomach flu, as it absorbed its second straight loss. Import James White led Mahindra with 28 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks while Aldrech Ramos added 16 markers, including two three-pointers in the final period. LA Revilla chipped in 11 points while Paolo Taha had 10. The game was tightly fought until the last three minutes when the Enforcers went on a 12-0 run that spelled doom for the Batang Pier. Import Dominique Sutton led GlobalPort, finishing with 24 points, 13 boards, seven assists, and four steals in 28 minutes of action. Stanley Pringle added 19 while Karl Dehesa chipped in 13 markers against his former team. Games Friday: San Miguel Beermen (1-0) vs. NLEX Road Warriors (1-0) and Star Hotshots (0-1) vs. Blackwater Elite (0-1).
