Makes eight triples as Powerade upsets top-seeded B-Meg to advance to semifinal round

Gary David caught fire from the three-point land to help the Powerade Tigers knock off the top-seeded B-Meg Llamados with a thrilling 131-123 overtime win last night in their do-or-die quarterfinal showdown of the 37th PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

After scoring 32 points in their 97-88 win in their initial meeting, David once again delivered another astounding performance by erupting for 37 points spiked by a hot eight-for-13 shooting from the three-point land.

David’s brilliant performance made the Tigers just the third number eight team to eliminate a number one seed in the league’s quarterfinal history.

Powerade will next play in the semifinal round against the winner in the separate quarterfinal series between Barangay Ginebra and Rain or Shine. The Painters lead the best-of-three series, 1-0.

David actually struggled in their early goings, scoring nine points in the first quarter before going scoreless in the second period.

In the 7:26 mark of the third, a near fracas involving B-Meg’s Josh Urbiztondo and Powerade’s Celino Cruz broke out.

David admitted that the fight was what gave him the spark as he dropped one triple after another, allowing the Tigers to come back from a 15-point third quarter deficit.

David sent the game into overtime by converting a triple in the final 11.7 seconds. He then took matter into his own hands by scoring 10 straight points to start the extension period that gave the Tigers a 125-117 lead.

The Llamados threatened at 123-125 but Marcio Lassiter delivered his own booming triple as the Tigers sealed the come-from-behind win by going up, 128-123, with 23 seconds  left.

The Tigers converted a whopping 23 three-pointers to complete the win.