The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters pulled away in the third quarter to shoot down and end the streak of the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 97-82, in the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup, Sunday evening at the Araneta Coliseum.
The victory pushes RoS’ record to 5-2, solidifying their hold of the second spot in the team standings. The Fuel Masters, on the other hand, went 4-4 and dropped to fourth along with Blackwater Elite.
Jericho Cruz led RoS’ charge for tonight, scoring 21 markers off 7 for 14 shooting. He also grabbed eight rebounds.
Jeff Chan nailed 12 markers despite a dismal 5-of-16 from the floor, while James Yap added 10 points.
“Basically, I told the players to play as a team,” said RoS head coach Caloy Garcia moments after the game. “May mga problema pa kami and we have to fix them.”
The Elasto Painters’ surge started in the third canto. From a slim ten-point, 55-45 lead early on, Rain or Shine scored 12 straight points, anchored by Ronnie Matias, to post the game’s widest gap at 20, 65-45, in the 7:34 mark.
Phoenix managed to climb back behind Matthew Wright and close in by nine, 81-72, midway into the final frame. However, RoS pulled an 11-2 run of their own, powered by Cruz’ three straight triples, to keep Phoenix at bay, 92-74, with 3:53 to go.
The victory means a lot for the winning team, as it is dedicated for team owner Raymond Yu’s mother Margaret Yu, who recently passed away.
“When you lose somebody especially your number one fan, you have to find ways to win. Getting this win siguro masaya naman si Mommy Yu now,” said Garcia.
Wright led all scorers with 26 markers to pace the Fuel Masters, while grabbing 12 boards. Forwards JC Intal and Mark Borboran backed him up with 10 points each in the loss, which snaps their two-game win streak.
RoS shot 41 percent from the field, hitting 35 of their 85 tries — far better from Phoenix’s 32 of 101. They dished the ball better, 22-17, but got out-rebounded 61-56.
Rain or Shine look to start a win streak of their own as they battle the San Miguel Beermen on Friday, January 13, 7 PM at the Mall of Asia Arena. Meanwhile, Phoenix will try to bounce back versus NLEX on January 18, Wednesday, 7 PM at the Cuneta Astrodome.
The Scores:
Rain or Shine (97) – Cruz 21, Chan 12, Yap 10, Tolomia 9, Trollano 9, Washington 9, Matias 8, Ahanmisi 8, Tiu 6, Ponferada 3, Belga 2, Maiquez 0.
Phoenix (82) – Wright 26, Intal 10, J. Wilson 10, Alolino 8, Baguio 8, Borboran 7, Torres 5, Enciso 3, Hayes 3, Caperal 2, W.Wilson 0, Lanete 0.
Quarterscores: 30-20, 53-45, 78-61, 97-82
