PBA: Kia outlasts Blackwater in 2OT

Jet Chang had 25 points while Hamady N'Diaye chipped in 16 markers and 23 rebounds, as the Kia Carnival outlasted the Blackwater Elite in double overtime, 83-76, on Tuesday at the Cuneta Astrodome.

"I told players in second OT its all about the effort and the willingness to win," said Kia assistant coach Chito Victolero. "I'm very proud of my players because they didn't give up even though they're tired and some were experiencing cramps."

LA Revilla added 10 points, while Karl Dehesa chipped in nine, including his team's final four points.

The two teams found themselves tied in the final 52 seconds of regulation after a pair of Bam Gamalinda freethrows, 70-all. A Hyram Bagatsing basket nudged Kia ahead, but Brian Heruela took it strong to the hoop in the ensuing play, knotting the game with 19 seconds left.

Off a timeout, Kia had Jet Chang drain the clock at the top of the key. The import drove, only to lose the ball. Heruela pushed the ball and got the shot off on time, but his floater sailed long, leading to overtime.

In the final two minutes of the first overtime, Kia secured key offensive boards for extra chances to take the lead. Hyram Bagatsing and Alex Nuyles failed to convert, though, as a Gamalinda offensive rebound off a Marcus Douthit miss gave Blackwater a chance to call for time and set up with 33 ticks left.

Blackwater opted to dump the ball to Reil Cervantes in the shaded lane in an effort to cash in on his mismatch with Alex Nuyles. His attempt failed to find the mark as well, leaving Kia 16 seconds to win the game. In the final play, the Carnival went to Chang anew. The import's drive didn't drop in, and a late Hans Thiele putback also proved to strong for another set of five minutes.

Kia opened up the second overtime with a Hamady N'Diaye short stab off a Bagatsing feed. But in the next possessions, the Carnival virtually played with four men on the offensive end, as their import appeared winded at the other end of the court. A split from Nuyles made it a three-point game, while Bagatsing's pressure on the inbound forced Blackwater to burn a timeout.

A Reil Cervantes breakaway layup trimmed the lead to just one, but a Chang dish to N'Diaye ended in an emphatic slam, 79-76. After another Douthit miss, Blackwater was forced to play the fouling game, and two freethrows from Karl Dehesa with 14 seconds remaining put the game out of reach, 81-76. - GMA News


The scores:
Kia 83 -- Chang 25, N'Diaye 16, Revilla 10, Dehesa 9, Nuyles 8, Yee 4, Bagatsing 3, Thiele 2, Webb 2, Alvarez 2, Pascual 2,Deutchman 0, Avenido 0, Parreno 0.

Blackwater 76 -- Heruela 19, Douthit 16, Cervantes 13, Reyes 8, Laure 8, Gamalinda 6, Faundo 2, Erram 2, Acuna 2, Timberlake 0, Celiz 0, Bulasan 0.

Quarters: 21-16; 34-28; 50-52; 72-72; 74-74; 83-76