PBA: Rain or Shine out-hustles San Mig to win Game 1

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters relied on their hustle in the endgame to stave off the San Mig Coffee Mixers, 91-83, Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, to take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven semifinals series.

 

Sophomore guard Paul Lee scored nine points in the fourth quarter to help his team subdue a feisty San Miguel Coffee squad.

[Check out the play-by-play of this game here]
 

"We executed our offense well. I'm happy with the way we moved the ball," said Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao.

 

However, Guiao was concerned with his team's rebounding, saying that it needed to be consistent for the rest of the conference. Nevertheless, he was satisfied with taking an early lead in the series, adding, "You want to get any kind of edge in this situation."

 

Jervy Cruz, who was especially active on the offensive glass in the fourth quarter, posted seven points, 15 rebounds and a block.

 

San Mig Coffee controled the game early on from the post. Yancy De Ocampo and Mark Pingris had four each as the Mixers took off for a 13-7 lead.

 

Rain or Shine pushed the pace midway through the quarter, as Jeff Chan and Larry Rodriguez strung together a 9-2 run to give the Elasto Painters their first lead, 16-15, with under four minutes to play.

 

The Mixers regained their bearings and matched RoS for every basket as Pingris scored six of their last eight points, though they continued to trail after the first quarter, 24-23.

 

In the second period, Rain or Shine's up-tempo play extended their advantage with six unanswered points, capped by a split from the line by Gabe Norwood. San Mig Coffee replied with seven unanswered of their own, including four points by PJ Simon, as the Mixers took a slim 30-29 lead. 

 

But the SMC couldn't sustain the run, owing to miscommunication and lazy passes on the offensive end. JR Quiñahan buried the Elasto Painters' fourth triple of the game to ignite another run that put Rain or Shine back on top by six, 36-30, with five minutes to play in the first half.

 

San Mig Coffee dug in on defense and forced RoS into turnovers. The Mixers quietly put together an 8-2 run, knotting the game on a floater by Simon, but Chan bailed out his team with a three pointer with 18 seconds to play that allowed Rain or Shine to end the half with a 41-38 lead.

 

Prior to Chan's three-pointer, the Elasto Painters had only one field goal in the last 5:42 of the second period. Chan tallied 16 points in the first half. 

 

San Mig Coffee played spirited basketball when the game resumed. They surged ahead behind strong play from De Ocampo and a triple by Yap. A one-handed dunk by Pingris capped a run that gave the Mixers a brief 47-46 lead. 

 

Larry Rodriguez responded for the Elasto Painters as he scored seven of their first nine, but the Mixers tied things up on a technical free throw, as the referees blew the whistle on Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao for profane language with under seven minutes to play, 50-50.

 

Despite the break, the Mixers couldn't reestablish their presence on the offensive end. Instead, Ryan Araña gave their defense headaches as the wingman scored seven points in a 15-7 run to close the period with the Elasto Painters up 65-57.

 

Rodriguez and Araña posted 18 of Rain or Shine's 24 points in the third period.

 

In the payoff period, San Mig Coffee crashed the offensive glass and used second-chance points to make it a one-possession game, 69-67, but Paul Lee rose to the occasion and poured in eight straight points, including two triples, as Rain or Shine let loose a 12-5 run, 81-74, with six minutes to play.

 

Lee picked up his fifth personal foul at the 5:42 mark and had to be benched for a while. Taking advantage of the situation, Mixers Mark Barroca and De Ocampo cut the lead to four, 85-81, with three minutes to play. However, they drew no closer thanks to aggressive rebounding by the Elasto Painters' front line that cost them time on the clock. 

 

Beau Belga scored four of Rain or Shine's last six to secure the victory.

 

Barroca, who soaked up the minutes of a hobbled James Yap in the fourth quarter, scored 11 points in the period. 

 

Rain or Shine had pronounced advantages in fast break points, 10-to-4, and turnover points, 15-to-6. 

 

Jeff Chan broke out of a slump to lead all scorers with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Paul Lee and Larry Rodriguez scored 15 each, while Beau Belga posted an all-around effort with 13 markers, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block. 

 

Yancy De Ocampo led the charger for San Mig Coffee with 17 points, six boards and four dimes. Frontcourt parter Marc Pingris had 14 points and seven rebounds, but James Yap was held to only 11 points on 3-of-13 shooting, though he did pull down seven boards as well. 

 

Game two is set for Friday at the SM MOA Arena. - RAF/AMD, GMA News