BY CHRISTINE MONCADA
WELCOAT, long due for a big win, finally landed a big fish last night,
surprising Purefoods via a 110-103 victory in the Smart PBA Fiesta Cup at the
Araneta Coliseum.
Import Marquis Gainous dished out a sterling performance and
led the Dragons with 25 points and 11 rebounds but it was Joe Devance’s fourth
quarter brilliance that paved the way for the long-overdue win.
Devance scored nine points in the fourth canto, including a
three-pointer that not only gave the Dragons an 81-80 lead with 9:05 left but
also sparked the team’s closing scoring binge.
Rob Wainwright’ trey with 46.4 seconds left doused a comeback
attempt by the Giants.
Devance tallied 16 points and Wainwright finished with 15
points, the same output of Purefoods import Corey Santee.
"Masarap palang manalo sa PBA," exclaimed Welcoat coach Caloy
Garcia who waited four long months for the breakthrough win.
The win was the first for Welcoat after five games. The last
time the Dragons scored a victory in the league was last Nov. 16, a 95-93
decision over Magnolia.
"Credit goes to the players, they really played their hearts
out. Even the bench players contributed, especially (Allan) Salangsang. He
played well," added Garcia of Salangsang who had seven markers, five rebounds
and a steal in 10 minutes of action.
Darius Rice banged in 28 points and grabbed 19 rebounds but it was not enough
to prevent Purefoods, which slipped to 2-3, from absorbing its second straight
loss. The Giants also lost to the Red Bull Barakos 96-98 last Wednesday.
