RAIN OR SHINE STRIKES BACK
Jeff Chan found his shooting touch after the halftime break, firing away 23 points in the second half as Rain or Shine tripped San Mig Coffee, 81-74, Sunday night to extend the PLDT myDSL PBA Philippine Cup finale to a Game Six Wednesday.
Paul Lee and Gabe Norwood contributed clutch shots inside the last three minutes as the Elasto Painters kept the multi-colored championship balloons on the Araneta Coliseum rafters.
Rain or Shine chopped down its best-of-seven series deficit to 2-3, and coach Yeng Guiao vowed they would fight it out to the very end.
“I told the boys we can’t lose that sense of destiny. Even if we’re behind, it’s not over. We have to believe in ourselves and stay positive. A win like this can turn around the complexion of the series,” Guiao said.
“We’ll try to delay or postpone the celebration of San Mig. If we can delay it enough, it can be our celebration,” Guiao added.
The fiery mentor rued they lost Games Three and Four as Chan and Lee couldn’t explode at the same time.
The two did at endgame of Game Five.
San Mig Coffee had come to within three, 69-72, after trailing by nine when Lee buried a tough gliding looper to stop the Mixers’ momentum.
Rain or Shine further eased down the pressure after a booming triple by Norwood and a jaw-dropping turnaround shot by Jeff Chan making it 79-72.
Earlier, the Elasto Painters gained a virtual and crucial three-point swing as rookie Ian Sangalang muffed an open pointblank shot before Beau Belga knocked in a charity off a foul by Marc Pingris.
“The guys really wanted to win. We got our shots going especially in the fourth quarter,” said Guiao.
“Ayaw talaga naming ibigay ang series,” said Chan, who topscored with 24 though making only one in the first half.
Pingris, who failed to finish Game Four due to a poked right eye, returned with a super energetic performance, delivering team-highs of 18 points and 15 rebounds.
Yap also tossed in 18 points while Alex Mallari and Mark Barroca chipped in 11 and 10, but the rest of the Mixers were effectively neutralized by the E-Painters.
Still, the Mixers set the pace throughout the first half, leading by 10 at 20-10.
But then Chan hit his stride in the third quarter, firing away a 15-footer to tie the count at 44. (SB)
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