Protection against rain or sun Andrei Caracut. – PBA IMAGES
Rain or Shine avoided a stunning collapse with a big fourth-quarter comeback to go 3-1 in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup over slumping Magnolia.
But for coach Yeng Guiao, Wednesday’s 102-100 at Ninoy Aquino Stadium has a special feeling.
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“Before we didn’t have a final kick, we usually can’t close out games,” Guiao said.
The Elasto Painters blew a 13-point lead in the third quarter and fell behind by 12 in the fourth, but rolled to a 16-2 score that put them tied with the Meralco Bolts for third place in the standings.
Andrei Caracut scored 10 of his 15 points in the winning period, including the game-tying four-pointer to make it 100 with less than four minutes remaining. Adrian Nocum’s layup after he and Santi Santillan forced Paul Lee to turn the ball over led to the basket that proved to be the difference.
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Neither team scored in the last three minutes, which sounded the death knell for Magnolia who suffered another crushing defeat for the team usually in contention.
“We controlled the match, but we lost our momentum,” Guiao lamented in Filipino. “But the good thing is that we have made a big comeback. In the past we would just go bankrupt, so I see this as a good sign that the character of the team has changed.
Magnolia fell to 1-4 with its fourth straight loss not only losing its lead, but also losing import Ricardo Ratliffe to six fouls and failing to score in the final six minutes to finally lose a 100-88 lead.
“Magnolia came out strong,” Guiao said of the Hotshots, who got Paul Lee back after missing several games with a rib injury. “They’ve struggled in their previous games, but they’re a different team if they’re complete. We actually got lucky.
EASL exit bolts
Import Deon Thompson had 18 points, 15 rebounds, three steals and three blocks in another strong performance for Rain or Shine, although Santillan led all local scorers with 17.
Ratliffie finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds, with Ian Sangalang and Mark Barroca adding 21 and 18, respectively.
Meanwhile, Meralco suffered a major blow in their quest to reach the Final Four of the East Asian Super League after blowing a big lead in a 72-68 loss to South Korea’s Busan KCC Egis on the road. INQ
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