ANTIPOLO – Andrei Caracut took charge in the endgame as Rain or Shine showed Magnolia the door, 113-103, and advanced to the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup semifinals, Saturday night at the Ynares Center here.
The 28-year-old finished with 14 points, scoring eight of the Elasto Painters’ last 12 points of the match as the youth-laden crew showed elite composure in crunch time to complete the comeback after being down by 12 early.
He first scored six straight, all of which were near the shaded area, to push their lead to 107-101 after the opposition knocked within just a field goal.
Then came the free throws with 24.2 seconds to go to push their lead to 111-101, all but sealing the deal before Jhonard Clarito came through with their final points of the game — from the charity stripe as well — with 18.7 ticks left to play.
Eventually, all of Rain or Shine would erupt in jubilation as it not only took down their more experienced opponents, but also booked its second semis trip in a row after reaching the said stage back in the 2024 Philippine Cup.
“Pinaka proud ako sa lumaban lang sila. That they just competed, they fought it out, di sila bumigay under pressure–just the fighting heart the guys showed,” said head coach Yeng Guiao shortly after the do-or-die Game 5.
Top-scoring for the Elasto Painters was Aaron Fuller as he finished with a game-high 26 points and nine rebounds as he helped overhaul the early deficit.
It couldn’t get any sweeter for the returning import as he’s bound for his first-ever PBA semis after falling short in his four previous stints.
“It was just a battle. It just shows how much heart our team has. We did a great job coming up with a defensive gameplan for today’s game and we came out and left it all on the court. Just really proud of our guys,” Fuller said.
Jhonard Clarito delivered a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds. Adrian Nocum rifled in 17 as well, while big men Santi Santillan and Keith Datu chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively, with Datu going 3-for-3 from three.
“Sabi ko lang sa kanila, play this game for yourselves, your teammates, your family. It will go a long way in building respect for yourself. And I think they gave it their 100 percent,” said Guiao, immensely proud of his boys.
Now, Rain or Shine will brace for the best-of-7 semis series ahead, where it will be taking on TNT in a battle between the top seeds of the group stage.
It would be a rematch of the 2024 Philippine Cup quarterfinals, in which the Elasto Painters pulled off a reverse sweep in the best-of-3 affair, including a thrilling 110-109 decision in Game 3 to reach the semis.
Jabari Bird, on the other hand, led the losing side with 23 points in the loss that meant the end of the conference for the perennial contenders.
Calvin Abueva made 16 points, including 12 in the first half, and nine rebounds. Jerrick Ahanmisi had 15 points while Ian Sangalang added 12 as they tried to take the offensive load on a night Paul Lee was held to only nine points.
Despite Lee’s off-night, Magnolia still appeared to be on the way to taking full control of the game when it started out strongly with a 23-11 lead.
But Rain or Shine refused to go down whatsoever, going hard in the second quarter before taking the 85-83 lead by the end of the third as Guiao’s hard-fighting wards outscored the Hotshots, 65-54, in the middle chapters.
Then came that display of character in the final frame, with Caracut himself taking over in the endgame as he was the stabilizer they needed to upend Magnolia completely — and extend its semis wait to two conferences now.
“Andrei made some big shots. And to me, Andrei is the future of our team at the point guard position. He will still get better. Gagaling pa si Andrei,” Guiao said.
The Scores:
Rain or Shine 113 – Fuller 26, Clarito 17, Nocum 17, Caracut 14, Santillan 12, Datu 11, Belga 11, Lemetti 5, Mamuyac 2, Asistio 1, Norwood 0.
Magnolia 103 – Bird 23, Abueva 16, Ahanmisi 15, Sangalang 12, Lee 9, Dionisio 9, Dela Rosa 9, Barroca 6, Eriobu 4, Mendoza 0, Reavis 0.
Quarterscores: 20-29, 52-55, 85-83, 113-103.
