PBA: Rain or Shine thwarts late GlobalPort comeback for 4th straight win

 

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters saw their 18-point lead whittled down to eight, but held on long enough to earn their fourth straight victory at the expense of GlobalPort Batang Pier, 98-87, on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena, in the 2013-14 PBA Philippine Cup.

 

Rookie Alex Nuyles was a revelation in the game, scoring 16 points with four rebounds and two assists, including an important conversion in the final minute to derail GlobalPort's plans of coming back.

 

"It's really a win we wanted badly because we lost to this team the first time we played them," said Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao. "It could've been a more satisfying win if Sol [Mercado] was playing."

 

Their fourth straight win puts Rain or Shine within striking distance of the top two teams. At 7-3, the Elasto Painters are barely behind Petron (8-2) and league-leading Ginebra (9-1).

 

"We're on a winning run. [I] hope we can sustain it," added Guiao, who is more than willing to give rookies Nuyles and Raymond Almazan opportunities on the floor. "Alex [Nuyles] played a good game. [I] was planning on giving [Raymond] Almazan extended playing minutes but he got into foul trouble."

Rain or Shine entered the final period up 13, but Ryan Araña strung together five to make it an 18-point game anew with seven minutes remaining. GlobalPort's play seemed to shift from bad to worse at the 7:16 mark when Terrence Romeo fouled out of the game, but fellow rookies LA Revilla, Nico Salva and Justin Chua took it upon themselves to bring Batang Pier within striking distance. 

 

GlobalPort leaned on Mark Yee and Jay Washington early in the first, as the Batang Pier enjoyed a 14-7 lead. Rain or Shine responded through Beau Belga and Jervy Cruz, before Alex Nuyles tied the game at 14-all from the line. RoS poured it on right after, going on an 8-2 run to seize a 22-16 lead. Back-to-back hits from Nico Salva and Washington ended the period with GlobalPort only down two, 22-20.

 

Batang Pier regained the lead at the start of the second after a Marvin Hayes layup, but makes from Chris Tiu and TY Tang gave RoS a 38-33 edge. Treys from Tang and Paul Lee, along with a Larry Rodriguez basket, canceled out a Jondan Salvador make, as the Elasto Painters enjoyed a 46-38 advantage after two.

 

Rain or Shine's bigs sustained the momentum offensively, as Jervy Cruz and Raymond Almazan bumped the lead up to 18, 58-40. Washington and Garcia tried to keep it decent for Batang Pier, matching RoS' baskets. A 10-5 run by GlobalPort cut the lead to 12 before Tiu rung in a triple to stop the bleeding for RoS.

Jervy Cruz and TY Tang each added 12 points for Rain or Shine, combining for nine boards. Jeff Chan fired in 11 markers and dished out a team-high four assists, while Chris Tiu scored 10.

Jay Washington had another solid game for GlobalPort, tallying 26 markers, 11 boards, three assists, three steals and two blocks. Nico Salva managed 11 markers on 5-of-9 shooting, while the starting backcourt of former FEU superstars Terrence Romeo and RR Garcia accumulated 19 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals.

GlobalPort lost despite edging their foes in second-chance points, 16-10, but Rain or Shine had more free throw attempts, 37 versus 26, and they also shot slightly better from the field, 40.2 percent against 36.0 percent. - AMD, GMA News

 

 

The scores:

 

Rain or Shine 98 - Nuyles 16, Cruz 12, Tang 12, Chan 11, Tiu 10, Lee 9, Arana 8, Belga 5, Rodriguez 5, Norwood 5, Almazan 3, Quinahan 2, Ibanes 0

 

GlobalPort 87 - Washington 26, Salva 11, Romeo 10, Garcia 9, Hayes 7, Chua 5, Yee 4, Menk 4, Nabong 4, Salvador 3, Lingganay 2, Revilla 2, Ponferrada 0

 

Quarter scoring: 22-20, 46-38, 80-67, 98-87