PBA: Rain or Shine short-circuits Meralco from the free throw line for the win

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters made their last five attempts from the line to snag the win from the Meralco Bolts, 81-77, Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, to maintain their share of the lead in the PBA Governors' Cup.

It was a close game from tipoff, with no team leading by double digits the entire game. The Bolts held a slim lead early on, 8-5, before a Paul Lee layup gave the Elasto Painters a 9-8 advantage. Two straight hits by Mac Cardona gave the Bolts the lead yet again at 17-14, but Jamelle Cornley's jumper had Rain or Shine on top at the end of the first, 18-17.

In the second quarter, Ronnie Matias had back-to-back hits to give the Elasto Painters a four-point advantage, 26-22, but Meralco decided to get active in the paint, converting six straight to give the Bolts a 31-26 lead. Meralco continued to hold the Elasto Painters at bay till the end of the first half, as they stayed on top, 35-32, entering the third quarter.


Asi Taulava continued with his strong performance, opening up the second half with a post move, 37-32, but eight straight points from Rain or Shine gave the Elastopainters the lead at 41-39. The Bolts countered, with Chris Ross nailing a three pointer at the buzzer to tie the game up at the end of the third, 59-all.

In the fourth, JR Quiñahan and Ronjay Buenafe teamed up to give Rain or Shine a 67-63 lead, but Tualava and Cardona quickly responded, scoring six of their own to make it 71-67 for Meralco lead with less than four minutes left in the game.

With a minute and a half remaining, Cornley sank a jumper to snatch the lead back for Rain or Shine, 76-75. Sol Merado countered in the other end, giving the Bolts a one-point lead, 77-76, but it would be the last conversion for Meralco, as Paul Lee's free throws helped the Elastopainters regain the lead, 78-77, with less than 40 seconds remaining.

With time winding down, Gabe Norwood was sent to the stripe where he sank both charities to give Rain or Shine an 80-77 advantage. The Bolts were then slapped with a technical foul after calling a timeout that they did not have. Lee then trooped back to the line for the technical free throw to seal the win for Rain or Shine, 81-77.


"Free throws in the end game are very crucial. Our guys are maturing and are able to close out hard games, close games. I'm happy with how we handle pressure," said Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao.

Cornley top-scored for Rain or Shine with 21, while rookie Paul Lee contributing 16 points in the winning effort.

Mario West had 23 points for Meralco, while center Asi Taulava continued with his strong performance, chipping in 15 of his own in the loss.

The loss handed Meralco a 2-4 win-loss card, putting them on the outside looking into the top six. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

RAIN OR SHINE 81 - Cornley 21, Lee 16, Norwood 10, Cruz 6, Chan 6, Quiñahan 6, Buenafe 6, Matias 4, Jaime 4, Ibañes 2, Tang 0, Belga 0.

MERALCO 77 - West 23, Taulava 15, Cardona 12, Mercado 9, Bulawan 6, Hugnatan 6, Ross 3, Reyes 3, Macapagal 0, Artadi 0.

Quarter scoring: 18-17, 32-35, 59-59, 81-77