Rain or Shine outlasts Mahindra, stretches streak to 3
Jeff Chan was already sporting a big bruise on his left cheekbone as early as the third quarter and was repeatedly scored on in the fourth.
Yet Chan was flashing the biggest smile after carrying Rain or Shine to a hard-earned 103-98 win over Mahindra Wednesday that stretched the Elasto Painters’ winning streak to three in the Oppo-PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Chan and Jericho Cruz were foremost among those who stepped up when the expected big games from Mo Charlo and Paul Lee never came as the former scattered 14 of his 18 points in the fourth period while Cruz made two crucial baskets in the endgame that helped cap the Elasto Painters’ charge from a six-point deficit.
“It’s not really a pretty game for us,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao, who was tossed from the game late in the second quarter due to successive technical fouls and could only watch the game from the television inside the locker room as his team improved to a 4-3 slate and a tie with idle Barangay Ginebra at fourth-running spot.
“It’s not the way we wanted to play, but it’s still a win and it gives us momentum. We’ll take it any way we can take it.”
Rain or Shine managed to win despite Charlo, who debuted with 35 points and 13 rebounds in a 108-105 win over San Miguel Beer last Friday, notching only 16, on just 12 shot attempts, and eight this time. He did have eight assists.
“In this game he just overpassed,” noted Guiao. “He was not looking to score too much. I think we need to just talk to him and give him a better perspective of what he needs to do for us in the games to come.”
Also failing to put up a better performance than his three-point output in his conference debut against SMB was Lee, who started but produced just two points on 1-for-7 shooting.
“We’ll always try to help him out and get his confidence back,” said Guiao of his star guard who has been sitting it out since the sixth and last game of the Philippine Cup semifinal series due to a nagging knee injury.
“The problem with him is, he’s trying to settle for three points. He needs to drive, play better defense. But we cannot demand too much from him. He’s just getting back. If he gets in better shape he’ll be playing a lot better.”
For sure, added Guiao, his E-Painters as a whole need to put their acts together when they face last year’s finals tormentor Tropang TNT on Saturday.
“I’m not really too happy with the way we won, but it’s still a win,” said Guiao. “But we have to make the proper adjustments, play better than this when we take on TNT.”
The loss was Mahindra’s third straight, dropping it to 3-4 overall and the five-way logjam at fifth. But not after giving Rain or Shine one big scare by overcoming two early 11-point deficits and leading by as many as seven points in the third quarter.
The Enforcers were still ahead by 91-85 following five straight points by Mark Yee before the E-Painters got to muster the sustained attack they have been searching for for majority of the second half.
Chan, victim of an inadvertent hit by Chito Jaime in the third quarter and scored on by KG Canaleta and LA Revilla earlier in the final canto, sparked and stoked that 15-6 run with his last two triples while Cruz added all six of his fourth quarter points, including a putback and a layup off his own loose ball recovery, making it 100-97. Charlo helped the surge along with three charities.
Following a Mahindra turnover, Chan picked up the loose ball and completed a court-to-court layup, before Charlo all but sealed the game with the last of his freebies that made it a 103-97 count, only 19 seconds left.
JR Quinahan topscored for the E-Painters with 19 points, 14 coming in the third quarter that ended in a 70-all tie. Cruz also finished with 18 points.
Augustus Gilchrist led all scorers with 28 points on top of 11 rebounds with Revilla adding 20 points and six assists, but committing two turnovers and missing a shot in the endgame.
The Scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 103 – Quinahan 19, Chan 18, Cruz 18, Charlo 16, Almazan 7, Norwood 5, Ponferrada 5, Teng 4, Ahanmisi 3, Belga 2, Ibanes 2, Lee 2, Trollano 2, Tiu 0, Nimes 0.
MAHINDRA 98 – Gilchrist 28, Revilla 20, Canaleta 11, Yee 10, Dehesa 9, Jaime 8, DiGregorio 5, Ramos 5, Guinto 2, Elorde 0, Pascual 0, Pinto 0.
Quarters: 24-16, 49-48, 70-70, 103-98.
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