RAIN OR SHINE SURVIVES AIR21 SCARE
MOST of what Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao feared came true. Good thing he was able to realize the desired result.
The Elasto Painters banked on two crucial plays, one on each side of the court inside the last minute to carve a hard-earned 99-97 win over the Air21 Express Wednesday in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
It took a clutch shot by Ryan Arana on the offensive end and a botched Air21 inbound play in the last 3.8 seconds of the game before Rain or Shine could overcome the Express’ tough stance that was precisely what Guiao expected.
The win was the Elasto Painters’ third straight in four outings, giving them a share of second-running spot. But not after bucking the fouling out of import Bruno Sundov and some torrid shooting from the Express.
“We got really lucky in this game,” admitted Guiao. “Our import was in foul trouble for most of the second half, played little minutes and fouled out. We were really having problems matching up with their import.”
Often ganged up on at the post, Michael Dunigan still finished with game-highs of 22 points and 10 rebounds. But he shot just 4-for-14 from the field and actually made his living from the stripes where he missed only four of 18 tries.
Sundov went a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity lines for the bulk of his 17 points. But he had to sit out the last 8:12 of the third period after picking up his fourth and fifth just 23 seconds apart. He was fielded back with 6:08 left, made four straight charities before committing his last foul on Dunigan with still 1:15 remaining. In all, he played just 27 minutes and added five rebounds.
“We just kept fighting back even if our import was not able to help us much,” noted Guiao. “It’s a big lesson for our import, to just play a little smarter and keeping away from those fouls.”
Good thing Arana converted a corner triple off a well-run play that gave Rain or Shine a 98-94 lead that proved enough of a separation inside the last 52 seconds.
Air21 still kept fighting and pulled within 97-99 and had the chance to at least tie when it regained possession off a missed triple try by Wynne Arboleda in the last 3.8 seconds.
Whatever hopes the Express may have, vanished, however, when Mike Cortez’s baseline inbound pass went beyond the reach of Dunigan, who was ably defended in the shaded lane by Beau Belga.
Jireh Ibanes scooped up the loose ball and passed on to Paul Lee, who dribbled away the remaining time.
The locals of Air21 made up for Dunigan’s 4-for-14 field shooting by making 12 of 25 three-point tries that razed a 14-point second quarter deficit and turned the contest into a nip-and-tuck affair for almost the entire second half.
Even with the 7-foot-2 Croatian riding the bench for majority of the time, Rain or Shine’s locals ably held the fort with Lee winding up with 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and Arana chipping in 11 points and four feeds.
Nino Canaleta added 18 points and eight rebounds for Air21 with Mark Isip, Cortez and John Wilson contributing at least 11 points each. They all did their part in forcing nine deadlocks and eight lead changes in the second half.
The lessons learned from the close game that came on the heels of a 93-65 blowout of San Mig Coffee last Friday should be taken by his Elasto Painters to heart, stressed Guiao.
“You cannot take any team in this league for granted. Air21 is a strong and dangerous team and we almost paid for our mistakes,” he said.
“To be in second is a good feeling,” added Guiao. “We came from a big win but one night you’re playing well, the next night playing badly. That’s the way it is. Buti na lang nakalusot kami sa game na ito.” (NC)
The scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 99 – Sundov 17, Lee 15, Arana 11, Quinahan 9, Norwood 8, Rodriguez 8, Matias 7, Cruz 6, Uyloan 5, Belga 5, Tiu 4, Ibanes 4.
AIR 21 97 – Dunigan 22, Canaleta 18, Isip14, Cortez 14, Wilson 11, Arboleda 9, Atkins 4, Reyes 3, Omolon 1, Ritualo 1, Sena 0, Baclao 0, Custodio 0.
Quarterscores: 26-20, 43-41, 74-72, 99-97
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