Columbian Dyip erased an early 11-point deficit and hustled its way in the second half to escape with a vital 85-82 squeaker over Rain or Shine and stay in good shape in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum yesterday.
Rashawn McCarthy once again took charge for the Dyip, scoring 22 points, including five triples and five rebounds to show the way.
The Dyip continued their mastery of the Elasto Painters, winning their fourth straight dating back to last season.
More importantly, Columbian boosted its bid for a quarterfinals’ berth as it improved to 4-5 to move up to sixth place, while Rain or Shine dropped its second straight game to fall to 7-3, still in second place.
Columbian started gaining steam midway the third as it manufactured a 10-0 run to open up a 55-46 advantage at the 6:47 mark after a Jackson Corpuz jumper and then at 66-59.
Rain or Shine battled back, tying things up at 73-all with 6:54 remaining after a 7-0 run following a Mark Borboran triple.
However, Columbian kept its poise and regained the driver’s seat, taking an 83-79 edge into the twilight zone.
Gabe Norwood’s triple sliced the Dyip’s lead to a single points, 83-82, and gave the Painters a chance.
After Reden Selda sank two freebies with 2.3 ticks left that stretched Columbian’s lead to 85-82, James Yap had a chance to send the game to overtime but his last-second triple went astray.
Rain or Shine actually started the game out burly, carving a double-digit lead, 26-15, right away at the end of one.