MANILA — The giant-killing Kia Carnival claimed another victim, stunning the erstwhile league leader Barako Bull Energy, 71-68, Wednesday night in the PBA Governors' Cup. The win snapped Kia's two-game losing streak and, more importantly, boosted its chances for a playoff spot, even a top 4 finish, as the Carnival are now at solo fourth place in the standings with a 4-3 win-loss card. Barako Bull slid into a tie with Alaska for second to third place with a 6-2 card, allowing the San Miguel Beermen to take the top spot at 7-2. Kia succeeded in bringing down the mighty Barako Bull, the top offensive team in the conference, not by outshooting the Energy but by choking them with their efficient pressing defense, resulting in Barako Bull finishing with a season-low 68 points. Asian import Jet Chang from Taiwan led the Carnival with 15 points while LA Revilla finished with 10 markers. Hans Thiele and Hyram Bagatsing added nine points apiece. Kia won despite Senegalese import Hamady N'Diaye finishing with only eight points, 14 rebounds and his usual average of five blocks. Jason Deutchman also chipped in with eight points. Carlo Lastimosa and Chico Lanete were the top scorers for Barako Bull with 13 points apiece. The Carnival's biggest achievement was in limiting the Energy's high-scoring import Liam McMorrow to just 12 points and 16 rebounds as he was saddled by foul trouble. McMorrow, a tireless 7-2” Canadian player who wreaks havoc in the paint, has drawn the interest of at least two NBA teams, averaging 29 points and 23.3 rebounds in the conference. Kia also succeeded in grounding Barako Bull's Joseph Yeo who was averaging 22.75 points in his team's last four games. But Wednesday night, Yeo missed all the 11 shots he took, finishing scoreless. RR Garcia added 11 points for the Energy while JC Intal, another usually reliable Barako Bull scorer, only had four markers added to his name. Rain or Shine 106, NLEX 102 The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters lost a 29-point lead but managed to get past the NLEX Road Warriors in the endgame, 106-102. The Painters improved to an even 4-4 card, tying GlobalPort and Meralco for fifth to seventh spot in the standings. The Road Warriors now face elimination as they fell to solo 11th place with a 2-6 slate. Import Wendell McKines led Rain or Shine with 33 points, 20 rebounds and two blocks while Paul Lee scored 20 points. NLEX Asian import Michael Madanly led his team with 20 points. Asi Taulava posted 16 markers while Mark Cardona, KG Canaleta and Enrico Villanueva finished with 14 apiece. John Wilson added 12 points. Games Friday: Blackwater Elite vs. Talk N Text Tropang Texters; Global Port Batang Pier vs. NLEX Road Warriors.
