Rain or Shine struggled offensively against their bigger and quicker opponents, enduring a staggering 54-point defeat of 115-61 at the hands of the US NCAA Division I team, UC Irvine, in their final Jones Cup game at the Taipei Heping Gymnasium on Sunday.
The writing was already on the wall for the Elasto Painters as they struggled to find their offensive rhythm from the outset. They shot a mere 1-of-20 from the field and missed all 10 attempts from beyond the three-point line.
This dire offensive performance spelled doom for the Filipinos, especially as the Americans, who had already secured the Jones Cup title on Saturday by defeating the previously undefeated Chinese Taipei A team, capitalized on Rain or Shine’s shooting woes. This led to a substantial 26-6 lead for the Americans at the conclusion of the opening 10 minutes of the game.
Compounding the woes for the Elasto Painters was the ejection of their import, Nick Evans, with still 4:56 left in the first quarter due to an unsportsmanlike foul after pushing an American player. Evans also received a technical foul for engaging in a verbal altercation with UC Irvine’s head coach.
Although Rain or Shine’s offense gradually improved in the subsequent quarters, it was already too late, given UC’s substantial lead that was out of reach for the Filipinos.
Derin Saran led the way for UC with 23 points, while forwards Emilis Butkus added 18 points and Devin Tellis contributed 16. With this dominant performance, UC completed a flawless eight-game sweep of the tournament.
Andrei Caracut was the sole double-digit scorer for the Filipino team, managing to notch 14 points, as Rain or Shine concluded the tournament with a 2-6 record.
