The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters survived a furious end-game rally by Barangay Ginebra to eke out an 84-83 win against the Kings Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum in the PBA Fiesta Conference. The Kings had at least two clear chances to steal the game where they trailed most of the way, but import Milton Ambres missed a three-point shot while Willie Miller's shot at the buzzer also clanked out. The win improved the Painters' win-loss record to 6-5, good for solo sixth in the 10-team roster. The defeat snapped the Kings' four-game winning streak, including crucial wins against league leader San Miguel Beermen last May 26 and the Alaska Aces last May 22. Despite the loss, Ginebra maintained its grip on solo third in the standings with an 8-5 card, behind Talk N Text (10-2) and San Miguel (11-2). Jireh Ibanez led the Painters with 15 points, including crucial baskets in the homestretch, aside from collaring six rebounds. Mark Caguioa scored a conference-high 28 points for Ginebra. In the first match of the double-header, import Rashad Bell exploded for 33 points to lead the Coca-Cola Tigers to a come-from-behind 105-100 overtime win against the Barako Energy Coffee Masters. The Tigers notched their fifth win in 13 games, moving them into solo seventh in the standings. The Coffee Masters suffered yet another heartbreaking defeat following their 98-99 loss to the Air21 Express last Wednesday, sending them into a tie for last place with Air21, both with a 2-11 slate. Gary David, the conference's leading local scorer, chipped in 25 points for the Tigers while Asi Taulava added 12 and a game-high 14 rebounds. Sammy Monroe led Barako with 27 points and 11 boards, but he went scoreless in overtime. On Saturday, the San Miguel Beermen bounced back from only their second loss in the conference by whipping the Sta. Lucia Realtors, 91-84, in a PBA road game in Ormoc City.
