RP Selecta leans on Asi’s heroics

Asi Taulava delivered the goods last night as RP Selecta squeezed past Shell, 60-57, and kept its bid for a quarterfinals slot going in the Samsung PBA Governors Cup before a sparse crowd at the Ynares Center.

Taulava, a strong candidate for the national team that will see action in the 14th Asian Games in Busan, South Korea this September, scored 10 of his team’s last 11 points.

The victory gave RP Selecta a 3-6 record with two games left. The Turbo Chargers are already out of the running with its woeful 1-8 record.

The Turbo Chargers took a 57-56 lead behind two free throws by Ski Jones after a flagrant foul by Dondon Hontiveros. But Taulava countered with a three-point play in the ensuing play to give RP Selecta the lead for good.

"There were lessons learned in this game," said RP-Selecta coach Jong Uichico. "That foul on Hontiveros would not have merited foul throws under PBA rules. But foul throws were correctly awarded under the FIBA rule."

Taulava led all scorers with 31 points while teammate Kenneth Duremdes finished with 11 points.

Ski Jones fired a team-high 22 points for Shell with Rob Wainwright chipping in 14 points. Shell’s big import Bu Willingham could do no better than 4 points although he grabbed 16 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Bgy. Ginebra (1-7) tries to get out of the cellar when it battles RP Hapee (4-4) today at 3:45 p.m. while Talk N Text (6-1) seeks its seventh straight win when it takes on the Alaska Aces (4-4) at 5:45 p.m. at the Philsports Arena.