MANILA — Leonard Santillan delivered a scorching fourth-quarter performance to propel the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters past the Terrafirma Dyip, 106-91, in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Santillan erupted for 16 of his game-high 26 points in the final period, turning a once-tense contest into a commanding victory that lifted Rain or Shine into a share of first place at 4-1.
“Consistent lang kami sa sistema, may tiwala naman sa akin si coach Yeng (Guiao) at hindi ko ‘yun sasayangin,” said Santillan, who also credited his teammates for trusting him to deliver. “May tiwala naman ‘yung teammates ko sa akin, kaya kapag inaabot nila sa akin ‘yung bola, 100 percent kumpiyansa naman ako, good thing pumapasok naman mga tira ko.”
Keith Datu contributed 12 points, while Felix Pangilinan-Lemetti and Jhonard Clarito added 11 apiece. Rookie guard Adrian Nocum chipped in 10 as the Painters regained control after squandering a 17-point cushion.
Rain or Shine saw its early dominance slip when Terrafirma surged ahead, 75-72, behind Jerrick Ahanmisi and Paolo Hernandez. But Santillan and Pangilinan-Lemetti spearheaded a counterattack that restored an 86-80 lead before the Elasto Painters unleashed a 20-11 closing run.
Santillan buried back-to-back triples in the final minutes, while Nocum and Anton Asistio added clutch baskets to seal the win.
Ahanmisi paced Terrafirma with 25 points, while Hernandez and JM Bravo tallied 20 and 17, respectively, as the Dyip fell to 1-4.
In the earlier game, the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots (4-1) staved off a late Phoenix Fuel Masters (1-4) rally for an 83-80 win behind Jerom Lastimosa’s 14 points and seven rebounds./PN
