RAIN or Shine went on a 13-0 finishing kick to beat Magnolia, 102-100, on Wednesday in the PBA 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Elasto Painters overcame a 100-89 deficit with Adrian Nocum nailing the go-ahead shot at the 3:27-mark - a lead they eventually kept until the final buzzer in a wild ending that saw both sides go scoreless in the final four minutes.
Rain or Shine claimed its third straight win to improve to 3-1 (win-loss) while Magnolia slumped to its fourth consecutive defeat to fall to 1-4.
The Hotshots kept the game close despite losing import Ricardo Ratliffe to disqualification. They had one last chance to steal the win but rookie Jerom Lastimosa missed a four-point shot just before the buzzer.
Andrei Caracut also made a key basket during that crucial stretch, nailing a four-pointer to tie the game at 100 with 3:51 remaining.
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Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao lauded the composure of his players against a veteran-laden Magnolia squad.
“We just got lucky actually pero gusto ko ‘yung pinakita nilang laban,” said Guiao. “For the most part of the first half and third quarter, we had the game under control. Kaya lang nawala ‘yung momentum sa amin, patapos nung third quarter, napunta sa kanila.
“Ako, I think the good thing about this is ang ganda ng balik namin. Nabalikan pa namin ‘yun. Usually, ‘yung dating team namin, nag-collapse kami ng ganun, hindi na kami makabalik. Pero I see this as a good sign,” said Guiao.
Deon Thompson had 18 points, 15 rebounds, three steals, and three blocks, while Santi Santillan added 17 points on 6-for-12 shooting from the field.
Caracut had 15 points on 4-for-6 from the field, while Tiongson and Nocum had 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Ratliffe had 27 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out with still 2:46 to play. Ian Sangalang added 21 points for the Hotshots, who led by as many as 12 points in the contest.
The final seconds also saw Mark Barroca and Nocum getting into a verbal argument during a jumpball situation with both players being assessed with technical fouls.
The scores:
Rain or Shine 102 – Thompson 18, Santillan 17, Caracut 15, Tiongson 11, Nocum 10, Belga 7, Clarito 6, Datu 6, Lemetti 5, Malonzo 4, Asistio 2, Ildefonso 1.
Magnolia 100 – Ratliffe 27, Sangalang 21, Barroca 18, Lucero 11, Abueva 8, Lee 4, Dionisio 4, Ahanmisi 4, Dela Rosa 2, Lastimosa 1, Laput 0.
Quarters: 31-23; 50-47; 81-78; 102-100.
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