He already had three fouls three minutes before halftime, committed his fifth early in the fourth quarter, and launched an ill-advised three-point shot with Rain or Shine ahead by only three late in another close game.

Yet the No. 2 pick in the Draft was still able to make his mark.

Lee converted a pair of pressure-filled free throws with 57 seconds left to play, and Rain or Shine pulled together two critical stops from there to escape with a 96-93 win over Powerade Sunday night, its second straight close call in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

The Painters aren't really known as a defensive ball club, but they did succeed in holding the Tigers from scoring in the final 90 seconds of a back-and-forth contest that had 21 lead changes and 18 deadlocks.

First, Rain or Shine forced Powerade to commit a 24-second shot-violation after Lee's charities, and then, after wasting a crucial possession of its own, relied on Jeff Chan in coming through with a perfectly-timed rejection off Gary David's three-point attempt at the deep right corner.

"I consider this as a good sign," said Painters' coach Yeng Guiao.

"We're winning close games. Before our tendency was to collapse but now we proved that we can close out close games." Rain or Shine, indeed, is a team that used to crumble in tense late-game scenarios. But the Painters are a far more different team these days, having survived Ginebra on opening day, 94-93, before this gripping contest.

In a way, the Tigers blew their own chances.

After Lee took a three-point shot instead of trying to drive hard to the basket hoping to fish for a foul, Powerade was left with eight seconds to send the game into extra time.

But Jireh Ibanez fouled Celino Cruz for two free throws, and the Tigers' strategy was then obvious: convert the first, miss the second, and hope for an offensive rebound.

But Cruz, a usually steady free-throw shooter, bungled his first attempt. He intentionally missed the second, and the ploy nearly turned out right after David recovered the loose ball.

David, the reigning scoring champion, darted to the right corner to set himself up for the three-point shot, only to be denied when Chan sprinted to block his shot. David regained possession after the rejection, but was already pressed for time and heaved an attempt that didn't even hit the rim.

"Paul Lee made one or two misjudgements," said Guiao. "He's still a rookie, but as I said he's special. He's getting together well with our players and maganda naman ang samahan. The chemistry is getting better." Although struggling, Lee still wound up with a game-high 19 points he shared with Chan,and Gabe Norwood had 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for Rain or Shine, which next opposes Talk 'N Text on Oct. 14 (Friday).

"What we'll try to do is to take advantage of Talk 'N Text missing its three star players (Jimmy Alapag, Ranidel de Ocampo and Kelly Williams," said Guiao.

Alapag, De Ocampo and Williams all requested for a three-game respite after reinforcing the national team in the FIBA-Asia Championships in Wuhan, China last month.

Doug Kramer collected 16 points and 14 rebounds while sophomore Sean Anthony had 13 points and 15 rebounds for Powerade, seeking this conference to snap a three-season drought of not making it to the quarter-finals.

Ginebra, on the other hand, rebounded from its defeat to Rain or Shine with an 83-72 win over Alaska later in the night.

The Kings pulled away in the second half after merely leading by 34-32 at the half, erecting a 70-55 lead before coasting along in a match that spoiled the debut of Joel Banal as the Aces' head coach.

"It was not as easy as it seems," said Siot Tanquingcen, now the head coach of Ginebra. "Alaska is a strong team but it just so happens that we caught them at a time when they're still trying to get accustomed to each other." Nino Canaleta had 17 points and Mark Caguioa 16 for Ginebra.

Rookie Marnel Baracael, the former Smart-Gilas player, paced Alaska with 20 points and Sonny Thoss was the only other to score in double figures. LA Tenorio was held to only six points while Cyrus Baguio only produced seven markers.

"LA and Cyrus are the key guys for Alaska," said Tanquingcen. "There will be nights when they will be off."