The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters once again displayed their depth, while the Star Hotshots relied solely on Denzel Bowles.
Rain or Shine had six players score in double-figures in a 95-86 victory over the now 0-2 Hotshots, Saturday evening at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
The game was close up until the four minute mark of the final quarter. Beau Belga gave his team an 80-75 cushion after a jumper at the 4:26 mark of the final frame. A jumper by Wayne Chism and a triple by Belga extended the lead to 85-77.
Misses by the locals of Star and free throw splits by Denzel Bowles compounded the problem for the Hotshots. Free throws from Maverick Ahanmisi and JR Quinahan, and a dagger by Chism closed the doors for a Star comeback.
Chan led the Elasto Painters with 17 points on an efficient 6/10 shooting clip. He was able to knock down five three-pointers and grab six boards as well. Reinforcement Wayne Chism played the most minutes for ROS, 31 minutes, and added 13 points, eights rebounds, and two blocks.
On the other hand, Star mainstay import Denzel Bowles carried the Hotshots all throughout, playing a game-high 41 minutes. He scored 39 points on 31 attempts and grabbed 18 boards. The only other of the Hotshots in double-figures was Allein Maliksi with ten.
The Elasto Painters shot a little bit better from the field (41%) compared to Star (37). However, they were trigger-happy from downtown, attempting 33 three-point attempts and knocking down 12 compared to just four triples for Star.
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (1-0) are set to play again on Wednesday, February 17 against the Meralco Bolts (2-0) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The Star Hotshots (0-2) have a full week to regroup before facing the NLEX Road Warriors on Saturday, February 20 in Binan, Laguna.
The Scores:
Rain or Shine (95) – Chan 17, Cruz 13, Belga 12, Chism 11, Ahanmisi 10, Quinahan 10, Trollano 8, Tiu 6, Norwood 3, Teng 2, Almazan 1.
Star (86) – Bowles 39, Maliksi 10, Reavis 8, Barroca 7, Simon 6, Melton 5, Yap 4, Cruz 3, Pingris 2, Sangalang 2.
Quarterscores: 24-22, 44-44, 64-63, 95-86.
Photo courtesy of PBA Images
