The Hotdogs played with a big heart and overcame a 14-point deficit in regulation play as they kept their hot streak going to move closer to a guaranteed spot in the Magic Four of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup elimination.
Alvin Patrimonio, who played his best games at the Cuneta Astrodome in the 90s, returned like a conquering hero at the Pasay sports arena, scoring 22 points to lead the Hotdogs to the victory that drew them level with the San Miguel Beermen and the Alaska Aces on top on similar 4-2 win-loss records.
For the record, Patrimonio won three of his four MVP trophies and led Purefoods to three of their five championships right in this venue from 1993 to 1998.
Getting a warm welcome from the predominantly Purefoods crowd in the venue, the Hotdogs responded by showing a never-say-die attitude, thus, hacking out the swashbuckling come-from-behind victory.
Purefoods pounded Mobiline’s fumbling finish, keeping the Phone Pals winless in all the three games Asi Taulava has played so far since getting his Department of Justice citizenship confirmation papers.
Not even the return of Todd Bernard, who took over Jerod Ward, could save Mobiline from falling to its fourth loss in six games.
"It’s very obvious we struggled on offense. But we showed a big fighting heart, working hard on defense and that bailed us out," said Purefoods coach Eric Altamirano.
The Hotdogs did work hard on defense but they also had their offensive exploits, the most crucial of which included the three triples Noy Castillo made in the last nine minutes of play and the last three baskets converted by Rey Evangelista.
Castillo put the Hotdogs back into the fight, 78-79, on his first two triples — made on the same spot on back-to-back Purefoods decoy plays. His final three-pointer pushed the Hotdogs ahead for good at 87-86 in overtime.
Evangelista, meanwhile, accounted for the basket that knotted the count at 82 on a followup of a missed jumper by Castillo with 1:13 left in regulation. The former UST Tiger then broke the ice in overtime and sealed their victory, 91-86, with a breakaway layup following an interception of Bernard’s inbound with a minute left to play.
It was a sorry loss for Mobiline, specially to Taulava who had another solid all-round performance with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Bernard scored 24 points.