RoS torches Phoenix, secures No. 2 seed
ADRIAN Nocum soars to a 17-point performance to lead Rain or Shine to a 133-103 victory over Phoenix in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Friday.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF PBA
Rain or Shine opened the floodgates in a massive third quarter assault to roll past Phoenix, 133-103, and lock the No. 2 quarterfinals seed in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Friday at the Ynares Center-Antipolo.
The Elasto Painters poured in 41 points in the third quarter to turn a seven-point advantage at halftime into a comfortable 26-point cushion heading into the payoff period for a 6-4 win-loss finish in Group B.
Rain or Shine bounced back from a 103-107 loss to Magnolia last Wednesday and built momentum ahead of the best-of-five quarters showdown against Group A third seed Converge.
“Before the game, I told my players that it’s better if we win today so that we enter the playoffs on a winning note. That would be a good starting point for us,” Elasto Painters head coach Yeng Guiao said.
“We’re also building habits. We want our mentality to be playoff mentality, our effort to be playoffs effort. I push my players to think of this game as the playoffs. It’s our mental and physical preparation for the playoffs,” he added.
Jhonard Clarito led seven other Rain or Shine players in double-figure scoring. He dropped 18 points and added 11 rebounds and five assists.
“We’re just doing our role in the team. All of us have a specific role. So, we’re just doing our best to fill those roles. This is a huge win for us that we can bring to the playoffs, especially with our defense,” said Clarito, who shot 7-of-10 from the field.
Import Aaron Fuller added 18 points and eight boards, Adrian Nocum got 17 markers while Mike Malonzo had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Santi Santillan scored 13, Felix Lemetti finished with 11, Luis Villegas added 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while Caelan Tiongson chipped in 10 markers for the Elasto Painters, who controlled the boards, 52-34, and a 21-3 advantage in second chance points.
Rain or Shine’s bench outworked their Fuel Masters counterparts, 84-41.
After trailing, 27-30, after the opening quarter, the Elasto Painters outscored Phoenix, 42-32, in the second quarter to take control of the game.
It was all Rain or Shine in the second half.
The Fuel Masters, on the other hand, will have to wait for the result of the Barangay Ginebra (4-5) and Blackwater match (3-6), still being played as of press time, to determine their quarters seeding and opponent.
Waiting for their quarters rivals are Group A leader NLEX and No. 2-ranked San Miguel Beer.