RAIN or Shine dealt guest team Eastern its first loss, 99-81, on Wednesday in the PBA 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Deon Thompson had a 21-point, 15-rebound double-double in his PBA debut as the Elasto Painters claimed their first win in fine style after their 10-point defeat to Meralco in their conference opener last Sunday.
The win left NorthPort at solo first place with a 3-0 win-loss record.
“We are happy with the way he performed. He was late coming in. We had a change of import. Wala pa siyang isang lingo. He changes the chemistry for the better,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao of Thompson.
Santi Santillan added 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field for the Elasto Painters. Keith Datu also continued his good start to the conference, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds.
READ Glen Yang misses out due to passport issue
Cameron Clark had 30 points and 12 rebounds to lead Eastern, but the Hong Kong-based guest team sorely missed the presence of Glen Yang after the guard missed out due to passport problems.
Hayden Blankley also struggled for the visitors, hitting at a woeful 1-for-15 clip from the field to finish with seven points, though he hauled 11 rebounds.
The scores:
Rain or Shine 99 – Thompson 21, Santillan 18, Datu 10, Tiongson 10, Nocum 8, Ildefonso 8, Caracut 7, Belga 5, Clarito 4, Lemetti 3, Asistio 3, Demusis 2.
Eastern 81 – Clark 30, Cheung 11, Sheik 11, Cao 9, Blankley 7, Lam 6, Zhu 5, Guinchard 2, Chan 0, Leung 0, Pok 0, Xu 0.
Quarters: 24-18; 43-34; 70-64; 99-81.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
