PBA: Undermanned Rain or Shine hold off Ginebra

(Updated 9:11pm) The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters survived everything Barangay Ginebra San Miguel could throw at them, eking out a 96-93 win, Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, to stretch their win streak to four games. RoS improved to 4-1 in the standings, while sending Ginebra to the cellar with a 1-5 card, as they were unable to build on the momentum of earning their first win, versus Barako Bull Energy Cola, last Wednesday. Up by only two points deep in the fourth quarter, Gabe Norwood drew a foul from Chris Ellis on a three-point try with 47.7 seconds to play. The former number one overall pick only made two however, bringing Rain or Shine's lead to 90-85. Kerby Raymundo countered by draining two points on Ginebra's next possession. Paul Lee then tried an off-balance jumper, but it missed and Raymundo secured the board. However, the veteran forward wound up throwing the ball out of reach of his point guard, LA Tenorio, resulting in a turnover with 13 seconds remaining. Forced to foul, Ginebra sent Beau Belga to the line, and the stocky big man responded by hitting both, 92-87, with 12.2 seconds to play. Ginebra took a timeout and found Mark Caguioa for a triple. Paul Lee was next to be tested at the stripe, and he passed, converting both. LA Tenorio came back with a long triple to get within a point, 94-93, and Ginebra quickly fouled anew. Belga still did not blink, knocking in both, leaving Ginebra without any timeouts and with just 3.9 ticks on the clock. Their last full-court heave was deflected, preserving the win for Rain or Shine. Beau Belga was named best player of the game, registering 18 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Jervy Cruz added 13 points for Rain or Shine. Bruno Sundov and Jireh Ibanes contributed 12 points each, while Paul Lee and Ryan Arana individually came up with 11 markers. "Sometimes I don't understand what is or isn't a foul and our import is probably having the same problems," said Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao, who was forced to go without Sundov, as well as JR Quinahan late. "We've had two lucky escapes, including our game against Air21. For the most part our import wasn't playing during the minutes we needed him to be playing," explained Guiao. "So [this game] is a tribute to our locals stepping up and making up for our import's absence. It's really just team effort and helping each other out. We also still don't have Jeff [Chan] but we're finding ways to win." Rain or Shine caught Ginebra flat-footed and dominated them in the paint early in the first quarter, as Beau Belga and Bruno Sundov had nine points in an 11-0 run. Ginebra called a timeout to regroup, and countered with transition baskets and lob plays for Vernon Macklin, as they trailed by eight, 19-11. Mark Caguioa led Ginebra in the last four minutes as they chased the deficit. Ginebra went on a 10-4 run before JR Quinahan drilled in a trey, giving Rain or Shine some leeway as they finished the first quarter with a 27-23 lead. The Elasto Painters were rolling to the rim in the second quarter, as a transition and-one by Jireh Ibanes made it a 37-27 game. Mac Bacarael and LA Tenorio then converted consecutive treys, and Caguioa and Macklin combined for Ginebra's next 10 points. But Rain or Shine continued to toy with them as they earned easy points at the line. Unfortunately for Ginebra, they were held without a field goal in the last three minutes of the quarter. With just over two minutes to play, a daredevil drive by Ryan Arana gave Rain or Shine a six-point cushion. Belga added two shortly, giving the Elasto Painters a 51-43 halftime lead. Rain or Shine made 10-of-14 free throws in the second quarter (71.4 percent). In contrast, Ginebra converted four of five attempts (80 percent). When play resumed, Kerby Raymundo sank two jumpers as the Ginebra offense began to warm up. Ibanes and Sundov however tag-teamed for Rain or Shine and held them off, 58-51. Ginebra's activity on the offensive glass allowed them to hang around. Macklin also connected on a couple of highlight reel plays, taking advantage of a wary Rain or Shine frontline in foul trouble. The Elasto Painters hit the penalty mark at 5:59, and Rudy Hatfield split from the line to bring the tally to 60-56. Even as Sundov had to sit during foul trouble, the local Elasto Painters held their own. Ibanes replied with an and-one, and his team staved off Ginebra 68-63 with two minutes to play on charities by Belga. At 1:28, Beau Belga was charged with a technical while attempting to swat Macklin's shot beneath the basket. Macklin missed all three free throws, but a Tenorio bucket spurred Ginebra to close the deficit to two points, 70-68. Ginebra could've had the lead in the third quarter but shot poorly from the free throw line. They registered a 9-of-19 mark from the charity stripe (47.4 percent) as opposed to Rain or Shine's 5-of-8 clip (62.5 percent). Ginebra posted their first lead early in the fourth quarter after a drive by Tenorio and split charities by Billy Mamaril, 71-70. But after a brief tit-for-tat, Rain or Shine went on an 11-1 romp behind five points from Jervy Cruz, 83-75, with under six minutes to play. Ginebra slowly crept forward, as a put-back slam by Macklin helped make it an 85-81 game. With three minutes to go, Sundov fouled out while defending a lob to Macklin. The import made two from the line to cut the lead to two, but Paul Lee fired back with a trey on the other end, 88-83. With two minutes remaining, Raymundo drained a long deuce for Ginebra. But both teams were harried by turnovers over the next few possessions before Gabe Norwood drew his foul at the three-point line. Ginebra struggled at the line, posting a 27-of-46 mark from the stripe for the game (58.7 percent), including a 7-of-12 mark while trying to make a comeback in the fourth quarter. Vernon Macklin and Caguioa were 5-of-11 (45.5 percent) and 7-of-12 (58.3 percent), respectively. In contrast, Rain or Shine fared better with a 30-of-46 clip (65.2 percent) and were 11-of-19 in the fourth quarter. The Elasto Painters also held a 17-7 margin in fast break points. Ginebra outrebounded Rain or Shine, 52-42, but couldn't capitalize on a 13-5 advantage on offensive boards. Rain or Shine shot 32-of-47 from the field (47.8 percent) against Ginebra's 31-of-75 shot attempts (41.3 percent). Vernon Macklin led all scorers with 27 points and 16 rebounds. Mark Caguioa and Kerby Raymundo tallied 18 point apiece and combined for 16 rebounds. LA Tenorio registered a double-double with 17 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. - AMD, GMA News The scores: RAIN OR SHINE 96 - Belga 18, Cruz 13, Sundov 12, Ibanes 12, Lee 11, Arana 11, Quinahan 7, Norwood 5, Tiu 3, Matias 2, Tang 2, Rodriguez 0. GINEBRA 93 - Macklin 27, Caguioa 18, Raymundo 18, Tenorio 17, Baracael 7, Mamaril 3, Espiritu 2, Hatfield 1, Taha 0, Ellis 0, Labagala 0, Maierhofer 0, Helterbrand 0. Quarters: 27-23, 51-43, 70-68, 96-93