MANILA – Rain or Shine Elasto Painters took advantage of Terrafirma Dyip’s penalty situation in the fourth quarter to pull off a 124-112 victory in the 2024-25 PBA Commissioner’s Cup last night at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Down 104-108 with over seven minutes left, Andrei Caracut, Deon Thompson, and Adrian Nocum combined for nine free throws followed by inside hits from Thompson and Caelan Tiongson for a 117-108 lead.
The Dyip made their last push on a basket by Mark Nonoy and two free throws from Aljun Melecio, but a three-pointer from Nocum, two free throws from Caracut, and a basket from Tiongson sealed the win for the Painters.
Thompson finished with a double-double of 23 points and 17 rebounds, while Nocum added 21 markers, with 17 coming in the second half, as the Painters improved to a 4-1 win-loss slate for second place.
Caracut contributed 15 markers, including two three-point conversions, while Leonard Santillan and Anton Asistio also hit double-digits with 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Painters.
Brandon Edward tallied a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Dyip, Mark Sangalang added 21 markers, while Brent Paraiso and Vic Manuel had 16 and 12, respectively, as they dropped to 0-7 mark.
Meanwhile, Alec Stockton stepped up in the second half as Converge FiberXers pulled off a 98-91 victory over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings on Saturday night at the Batangas City Coliseum.
Trailing 40-57 at the half, Stockton unloaded 11 straight points to start the third quarter before Justin Arana and Cheick Diallo banked on their free throw conversions for a 73-70 Converge lead after a three-pointer by Jordan Heading.
The FiberXers continued their run in the fourth quarter with seven straight points from Deschon Winston for an 80-70 edge. The Gin Kings managed to cut the deficit to 88-91 but Converge got baskets from Diallo and Arana to seal the win.
Stockton finished the game with 22 points, with 18 coming in the second half, to go with eight assists and six rebounds as the FiberXers notched their third straight victory for a 5-2 win-loss slate./PN
BOX SCORE:
RAIN OR SHINE 124 – Thompson 23, Nocum 21, Caracut 15, Santillan 11, Aistio 10, Malonzo 8, Clarito 7, Datu 7, Lemetti 6, Tiongson 6, Escandor 5, Norwood 2, Ildefonso 2, Belga 1, Demusis 0.
TERRAFIRMA 112 – Edwards 26, Sangalang 21, Paraiso 16, Manuel 12, Hernandez 9, Melecio 7, Catapusan 7, Nonoy 7, Pringle 3, Olivario 2, Ramos 2, Ferrer 0.
Quarterscores: 28-37, 66-62, 98-65, 124-112.
