PBA: Rain or Shine prevents another meltdown, ties series vs San Miguel

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters saw their 21-point fourth quarter lead dwindle to just five before hanging on to beat the San Miguel Beermen, 105-97, on Thursday to tie their semifinals series at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Jeff Chan led five other Elasto Painters in double figures with 16 points, while Don Trollano surprised with 13. JR Quinahan and Paul Lee combined for 23 points and 15 boards, while Raymond Almazan and Gabe Norwood tallied 10 points each.

A Gabe Norwood basket with 9:49 left in the fourth stretched the lead to 21, 88-67, before the Beermen went on a 28-12 run to cut the lead to five with 1:04 left.

The Elasto Painters recovered with two charities from JR Quinahan and Paul Lee, as Alex Cabagnot missed an attempt from deep with 23 ticks to go to give Rain or Shine the victory.

June Mar Fajardo carried San Miguel with 38 points and 17 boards, while Alex Cabagnot came off the bench for 24. Arwind Santos was the only other SMB player in double figures with 10, as Game 1 hero Ronald Tubid was limited to seven points. Chris Ross, meanwhile, was held scoreless. - GMA News