RAIN or Shine got going in the second half to hammer out a come-from-behind 96-89 win over NLEX in the PBA preseason pocket tournament at the Upper Deck Gym on Tuesday.
Don Trollano went 4-of-6 from the three-point area on the way to 20 points for the Elasto Painters, who grabbed the lead in the four-team tournament with a 2-0 win-loss record.
Maverick Ahanmisi scored 16 while Chris Tiu and Ed Daquioag added 11 each.
"We started slow but once we picked it up, we played a lot better," said RoS coach Caloy Garcia,
The Elasto Painters climbed back from a 40-51 halftime deficit with a furious 38-19 third-quarter surge that saw them open up an eight-point lead, 78-70, entering the final quarter.
With a balanced attack, Rain or Shine opened a 16-point spread, 87-71, with 10:09 remaining which was enough to withstand a late rally by the Road Warriors.
NLEX dropped to 1-1.
Rabeh Al-Hussaini continued his fine play for the Road Warriors with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Kiefer Ravena and Asi Taulava had 14 and 12, respectively.
"It's a little disappointing but it's a learning process for us naman," said NLEX coach Yeng Guiao.
In the opening game, Phoenix carved its first win at the expense of Alaska, 89-85.
The Fuel Masters improved to 1-1 while the Aces dropped their second straight loss.
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