PAUL Lee and Jonathan Uyloan steadied the Rain or Shine ship down the stretch to help the team hold off a late GlobalPort fightback, 104-98, on Friday night in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Lee made five of his team's final eight free throws while Uyloan hit a shot clock-beating, double-clutch three-pointer as the Elasto Painters survived a hail of late three-pointers from GlobalPort guard Terrence Romeo.
For a while, Rain or Shine's second win in three games looked in the bag until Romeo hit four three-pointers in the final stretch, the last bringing GlobalPort within 94-98 with 42 seconds left to play.
“GlobalPort played a really good game today because they just kept coming back,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao. "At times, I thought we would win with some comfort, but they just keep coming back all the way to the last possessions."
Guiao said he wasn't entirely happy about the win, saying the Elasto Painters are merely grinding out victories but still lacking the defensive intensity as well as the fluidity of their offense.
“We’re still not 100 percent after three games,” he said. “I feel we’re still struggling with our execution. And we are not able to sustain our defensive energy during the course of the game.”
Lee led the team in scoring for the second straight game with 25 points spiked by five three-pointers. The vastly improved Uyloan added seven points, five in the final quarter.
Rain or Shine import Rick Jackson finished with 16 points, 18 rebounds and six assists.
Romeo and import CJ Leslie scored 29 points each for the Batang Pier, who fell to 1-2.
The scores:
Rain or Shine 104 - Lee 25, Jackson 16, Cruz 10, Chan 9, Belga 9, Tang 8, Uyloan 7, Norwood 7, Arana 6, Almazan 3, Tiu 2, Quinahan 2, Ibanes 0.
GlobalPort 98 - Leslie 29, Romeo 29, Pringle 16, Isip 8, Buenafe 4, Ponferrada 4, Miranda 3, Jensen 3, Semerad 1, Taha 1, Caperal 0, Pinto 0, Baclao 0, De Ocampo 0.
Quarterscores: 27-20, 53-52, 75-58, 104-98
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