Defending champions Junalvin escaped to a nail-biting 89-85 victory past Ooredoo in the overtime period to retain the Seniors Open Ooredoo Cup hosted by Pinoy Basketball of Qatar (PIBAQ) at Al Gharafa Multi Purpose Training Gym. It was the third straight championship win for Junalvin.
A foul committed by Willie Layag of Ooredoo with 10 seconds left in the game proved to be costly, giving Junalvin’s Michael Olino a visit to the free throw line. He scored off both throws to seal a hard-fought win.
Layag took a last ditch attempt from beyond the arc but missed with two seconds left before the final buzzer sounded. He was instrumental in the three-point basket by Jay Abejero with his assist to inch closer to the rival score before he committed the heartbreaking foul.
Anastaciio Mendoza converted a jumper with 17 seconds left to assure a five-point lead only to be quickly answered by Abejero’s trey.
Both teams traded baskets in the shootout all throughout the game amid wild cheers from the fans in separate camps.
The Olino-Mendoza tandem with a combined 51 points proved superior against the league veterans’ duo of Layag  and Jojo Longalong, who combined for 42 points. Sweet shooting Olino top-scored with 32 points while Longalong had 25 points. Their counterparts, Mendoza had 19 points while Layag had 17.
In the battle for third place, AA Tailoring reigned supreme over Khalifa Boyz in the tight, 87-83.
The tournament was organised Qatar Basketball Federation in co-operation with the Philippine Embassy in Qatar and United Filipino Organization in Qatar.