National Pipe Company banked on an aggressive fourth quarter to overpower Al-Rushaid Construction Company, 92-88, in the Open Division of the prestigious Eastern Province Basketball League at the Al-Ettifaq Club at the weekend.

Playing catch-up the entire game, NPC tightened its vaunted defense at crunch time while Ariel Layug exploded with 12 of his 24 points putting his team in front 87-86 with less than a minute left following an undergoal stab amid the outstretched arms of 6-9 slotman Frederick Canlas.

As Elmer Fabula missed an open triple on the return play, Marbin Macalalad sank a tightly-guarded step-back trey with 48 ticks remaining to give NPC a four-point cushion. ARCC-EEI’s Chris Manalili quickly retaliated with a side jumper to keep the game dangerously close at 90-88.

With time running out, Jesse Mapanao fouled Melvin Mamaclay to buy some time but the explosive forward converted his free throws for the final tally. Mamaclay finished with 24 points.

Anthony Nabong, a 6-3 ex-MBA native of Tarlac, was the most dominant big man of them all, scoring 9 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to go with a block. “We just tried playing aggressive, that’s what coach (Gil Rivera) wants,” said Nabong.

Quarter-scores: 14-17, 32-37, 61-62, 92-88

Saipem 89 ACBI 85: Bert Abansana fired 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and John Supan added 24 as Saipem upset the import-laden ACBI Tankers in the Intercompany-A category.

Mike Sison, who does most of the dirty work inside, also shone with 18 points and eight offensive boards for Saipem, who appeared to have sealed the outcome late in the fourth only to find themselves in a grind at crunchtime. “They put us on the edge of our seats and we don’t want to be there,” said Saipem coach Arthur Caliboso. “It showed how much fighting spirit

ACBI has.”

Dustin Wood, ACBI’s never-say-die import, fouled out midway into the final period after a rare dismal performance. Woods scored 12 points and pulled down 17 rebounds, including a pair of shots in the third when the Tankers came from behind and took a 68-61 lead going into the fourth.

Quarter scores: 21-17, 47-43, 61-68, 89-85

ISPC 86 Al-Majdouie 66: Al Ittefaq Steel Product Company opened its campaign with a runaway win over Al-Majdouie, dropping their foes to 0-2 slate. Playing in front of a pro-Majdoiue crowd, the fifth-seeded Steelers squandered an early double-digit first quarter lead, recovered in the third quarter and never looked back from that point on.

ISPC, which had to pick players from the just concluded Al-Tuwairqi Cup, led by as much as 11 points in the opening quarter, only to see Al-Majdouie claw its way back in the game in the second period. From then on, it’s all Steelers game.

Mark Millera led all scorers with 23 points but it was Rudini Bayacsan’s hustles from both ends of the floor that provided the spark to the sagging play of the Steelers. For team captain, Mon Hernandez, it was their experience that gave them an advantage against the youthful Al-Majdouie team. “The way I see it, there’s no substitute for experience. Thankfully,

the breaks of the game went our way,” he said.

Quarter-scores: 29-24, 44-36, 61-47, 86-66

In other Intercompany game results, Issam Kabbani defeated National Amlak, 80-60; Metal Services beat Kabayan Foods, 63-43 and Rawabi Electric won over ERAM, 83-63.