ANTIPOLO – Andrei Caracut scored a playoff career-high 29 points on the night his rumored girlfriend Bella Belen was back in the PBA stands for the Commissioner's Cup quarterfinal showdown between Rain or Shine and San Miguel.
Belen was first spotted watching a PBA game last April 21 when Rain or Shine played Phoenix and returned to watch the high-stakes game with Capital1 teammates Leila Cruz, Pia Abbu, and Pauline Gaston, just like the first time.
READ Caracut sends BelDrei fans swooning, helps ROS oust San Miguel
Caracut put on a show before Belen and the rest of the fans at the Ynares Center, going 6-of-12 from beyond the three-point arc, and adding a four for good measure to stake Rain or Shine to a 105-97 lead in the endgame.
When the final buzzer sounded to make the 113-104 win and ROS' march to the semifinals officuak, Caracut, Adrian Nocum, and Santi Santillan were seen approaching the general vicinty of where Belen and Co. was seated at the stands.
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During the postgame press conference, reporters playfully asked Caracut to describe how inspired he was during the game.
“Inspired lang ako kasi siyempre, nagtatrabaho yung mga teammates ko. Nakikita ko kung paano sila magtrabaho. Nakaka-inspire i-panalo yung game,” said Caracut. “Tsaka yung girlfriend… ng mga teammates ko, sumusuporta. Nakakataba ng puso."
When asked about the presence of the Capital1 spiker in the game, Caracut jokingly said he made sure to play well because Belen might replace him as Rain or Shine's point guard.
“Kaka-draft lang niya after ng finals ng volleyball. First draft pick. Kinabahan ako na baka palitan as a point guard kaya ginalingan ko,” said Caracut laughing.
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