The game-winner came off an inbound pass from Jayjay Helterbrand and found the bottom of the net with 0.8 second left, giving the Aces a slim chance of forging another extension.

Don Allado managed to take a clear shot before the buzzer, but failed to hit the mark.

The Gin Kings’ win, their fourth in seven games, overshadowed the 94-90 decision hammered out by San Miguel Beer over Talk ’N Text which gave the Beermen the solo lead at 5-2.

The loss sent the Phone Pals down to eighth spot at 2-4.

From the looks of it, the gunner from St. Benilde was really meant to be the savior for the Kings. He wouldn’t be there at crunch time had Rodney Santos was there.

Santos left the game for good late in the third with an apparent knee injury.

Salvacion, who had five points in only 10 minutes of action, was fielded in to provide more threat from the perimeter on their final possession.

The Kings failed to cash in on their last play but got a break when Aces guard Willy Wilson was called for a loose ball foul, three seconds to go.

"Sometimes it’s really better to be lucky than good. That wasn’t the designed play but it worked for us," offered Kings coach Siot Tangquincen, referring to the winning sequence.

Kalani Ferreria made two brilliant plays down the stretch as the Kings seized the upperhand in the closing moments of regulation.

His follow-up, his lone basket for the night, tied the count at 80-all and his feed to Helterbrand led to the go-ahead basket, 82-80, 1:09 to go.

But Nic Belasco split two pairs of free throws to forge an 82-all deadlock and send the game to overtime.

With their starters outscoring the entire Kings, the Aces took a 45-37 lead at the half.

But the Kings opened the third period with a 15-5 capped by a basket off a steal by Helterbrand to take a 52-50.

Meanwhile, Air21 tripped Sta. Lucia Realty, 113-100, last Saturday night in an out-of-town game in Isabela.

It was the third win in seven games for the Express while the Realtors suffered their fifth loss in six matches.