RAIN OR SHINE MAKES IT TWO IN A ROW
In a game that was nearly overshadowed by a Paul Lee and Terrence Romeo shootout, Rain or Shine survived a furious Blackwater squad Friday to escape with a 104-98 win and a second straight victory in the 2015 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
With the two guards battling each other offensively, it was Lee’s team which came out on top. The Tondo playmaker finished with 25 points, nine in the payoff period and 10 coming from a perfect clip from the charity stripe, along with his five rebounds to anchor his squad to its second straight win.
Rick Jackson, still under observation through the eyes of head coach Yeng Guiao, also added a double-double with his 16 markers, 18 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks, while Jervy Cruz chimed in 10 points and eight boards.
Coming off a 96-91 decision over NLEX last Tuesday, the Elasto Painters seemed to be well on their way to another win as they held a 15-point edge, 71-56 late in the third quarter after a 14-0 tear for the better part of the period.
Romeo, however, had other plans in his mind. The scoring dynamo out of Far Eastern University waxed hot from threes in the payoff period and played like a mad man to tally 14 of his 29 points in that canto. His final trey with 42.1 ticks remaining cut the deficit to just four, 98-94.
After another pair of free throws from Lee, Batang Pier import CJ Leslie had a split from the line, but he was able to get the offensive rebound and turned into a Stanley Pringle bucket to close the gap at 101-98 in the last 18.7 seconds.
But like a thorn on the side of GlobalPort, it was Lee again who nailed the charities to ice the game at 103-98. Pringle would miss on a trey in the next possession as the E-Painters escaped with the win.
Despite the ugly win, Guiao hopes that his wards have finally learned their lesson.
“It’s still a win for us, but we must focus on stringing up as many wins as we can,” he said, as Rain or Shine improved to 2-1.
“Just being able to carve out wins is going to help that rhythm we’re looking for, but you also have to win games comfortably. We can’t keep on struggling in the endgame.”
Leslie also had 29 points and 17 boards for GlobalPort, which fell to 1-2. Pringle also chipped in 16 in the losing effort. (RL)
The scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 104 – Lee 25, Jackson 16, Cruz 10, Chan 9, Belga 9, Tang 8, Uyloan 7, Norwood 7, Arana 6, Almazan 3, Tiu 2, Quinahan 2, Ibanes 0.
GLOBALPORT 98 – Leslie 29, Romeo 29, Pringle 16, Isip 8, Buenafe 4, Ponferrada 4, Miranda 3, Jensen 3, Semerad 1, Taha 1, Caperal 0, Pinto 0, Baclao 0, De Ocampo 0.
Quarterscores: 27-20, 53-52, 75-58, 104-98
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