COLUMBIAN asserted its mastery of Rain or Shine with an 85-82 victory on Wednesday night in the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Rashawn McCarthy had 22 points to pace Columbian, which swept Rain or Shine in all three meetings last season and continued to own the Elasto Painters this year.
The vastly improved McCarthy scored six points in a 10-0 run that enabled the Dyip to open a 55-46 lead in the third quarter.
They stood their ground the rest of the way to improve to 4-5 (win-loss) and atone for a disappointing loss to Blackwater last Friday.
“Sabi ko nga sa kanila, losing to Blackwater dapat tama na ‘yun. We have three more games. We need these three games. We start with this game,” said Columbian coach Johnedel Cardel.
Jackson Corpuz added 12 points and eight rebounds while CJ Perez had 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Dyip, who also got eight points and eight assists from JP Calvo.
Rain or Shine was able to tie the game at 73-all, but Corpuz and Perez responded with back-to-back baskets to give the Dyip back the lead.
Reden Celda hit two crucial free throws with 2.3 seconds left for an 85-82 lead and James Yap missed a potential game-tying three-point attempt at the end.
Mark Borboran had 21 points for the Elastopainters, who have now lost two in a row to fall to 7-3.
The scores:
Columbian 85 – McCarthy 22, Corpuz 12, Perez 11, Calvo 8, Faundo 7, Khobuntin 7, Camson 6, Celda 5, Cahilig 3, Agovida 2, Escoto 0, Reyes 0.
Rain or Shine 82 – Borboran 21, Yap 12, Mocon 12, Daquioag 10, Ahanmisi 7, Nambatac 6, Norwood 5, Belga 4, Torres 3, Ponferada 2, Rosales 0.
Quarters: 15-26; 42-40; 66-59; 85-82.
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