Painters shock Beermen
Rain or Shine put up a balanced attack as the Elasto Painters repulsed San Miguel Beer, 91-85, in the 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup on Saturday at the Hoops Dome in LapuLapu City.
Richard Ross and Javee Mocon led the way for the Elasto Painters with 16 points each while combining for 26 rebounds and eight assists.
Gabe Norwood and Rey Nambatac added 15 points apiece and Jewel Ponferada had 10 points.
The Elasto Painters caught fire early and built a 20-point advantage in the third period. Not to be outdone, the Beermen found their groove after veterans Arwind Santos and Alex Cabagnot shot one three-pointer after another, trimming the gap chunk by chunk inside the final 5:47 of the fourth period.
Rain or Shine ran out of firepower in the homestretch, but did just enough on both ends to put the finishing touches on the much-needed victory - just their third in 10 games - that pumped life into its flickering hopes of making the playoffs.
Rain or Shine’s victory, meanwhile, decreased San Miguel’s chances of securing a top four and a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals.
The Beermen, who replaced import Dez Wells with former Cleveland Cavalier John Holland, dropped to a 6-4 record.
Although he hit a clutch triple at the 1:51 mark in the heat of the furious SMB rally, Holland had an underwhelming debut for the Grand Slam-seeking team.
He finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, hardly making a difference for the Beermen. In fact, it was an allFilipino SMB lineup that sparked the last-ditch surge in the fourth period.
Chris Ross paced the Beermen with 19 points, five assists, and seven steals. June Mar Fajardo, playing before his fellow Cebuanos, had 17 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Santos chipped in 14 points built on three triples. —