MANILA – Rain or Shine Elasto Painters overcame NLEX Road Warriors’ twice-to-beat edge with a 103-92 victory in the do-or-die quarterfinals of the PBA Philippine Cup on Saturday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
Leonard Santillan led the way with 24 points, including two three-pointers, to go with nine rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and two steals as the Painters booked a semifinals rematch with the TNT Tropang 5G.
Andrei Caracut added 16 markers, Jhonard Clarito contributed a double-double of 13 points and 16 rebounds, while Anton Asistio and Mike Malonzo had 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Painters.
Down 55-63 early in the third quarter, the Painters leaned on three-pointers from Clarito, Santillan, Gian Mamuyac, and Malonzo to cut the deficit to 75-77 before taking a 78-77 edge on a Caracut triple.
The Painters continued their run in the fourth quarter behind Malonzo and Clarito to extend the lead to 96-82. The Road Warriors made their last push after a four-pointer by Robert Bolick Jr., but timely hits by Clarito sealed the win for Rain or Shine.
“Nakaraos uli kami. This is our fourth straight time na nakalusot sa semis,” said Painters head coach Joseller “Yeng” Guiao after the game. “I just told them to play our brand of basketball, which is buwis-buhay brand. Just try to make the best effort.”
Bolick finished with 34 points, six rebounds, and four assists to lead the Road Warriors, while JB Bahio and Brandon Ramirez added 11 and 10 markers, respectively.
Meanwhile, Kelly Williams converted two go-ahead free throws as the Tropang 5G escaped with an 80-79 win over Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots to keep their Grand Slam bid alive.
Down 78-79 following a basket by Hotshots’ Ian Sangalang, Williams managed to draw a foul from Magnolia’s Rafi Reavis, resulting to his winning free throws with 2.7 seconds left.
Williams finished the game with 10 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and a steal as the Tropang 5G moved on to the best-of-seven semifinals round./PN
BOX SCORE:
RAIN OR SHINE 103 – Santillan 24, Caracut 16, Clarito 13, Asistio 11, Malonzo 10, Mamuyac 9, Tiongson 8, Nocum 5, Norwood 4, Porter 3, Datu 0.
NLEX 92 – Bolick 34, Bahio 11, Ramirez 10, Mocon 9, Fajardo 7, Semerad 6, Policarpio 5, Torres 4, Nieto 2, Alas 2, Valdez 2.
Quarterscores: 21-27, 52-55, 78-77, 103-92.
