PBA: Rence Nocum stars late as Rain or Shine hands San Miguel second straight loss

Rence Nocum took up the scoring cudgels late as Rain or Shine dealt San Miguel its second loss in a row with a 107-93 win on Tuesday in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.

Nocum dropped nine of his overall output in the crucial fourth quarter, finishing with 15 points along with four rebounds, five assists, and four steals as the Elasto Painters secured their second straight win to improve to 2-1.

More so, they sent the Beermen reeling to back-to-back losses as San Miguel opened its title defense bid on a bad note.

And while Nocum had a stellar all-around performance, Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao pointed to them having a tall import in 6-foot-8 Deon Thompson, who posted 18 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and three blocks all while also defending June Mar Fajardo.

With Thompson guarding the eight-time reigning MVP, Fajardo was limited to just two points in the first half though he still managed to finish with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists.

"Biggest factor really is having a big import. There's really no local who can match with him physically. Even Deon had a hard time just minimizing his touches and making him less efficient inside," Guiao said.

"I think that's the key. 'Yun ang susi talaga para talunin mo 'yung San Miguel, kailangan mahirapan si June Mar so Deon did just that."

Caelan Tiongson was also crucial for the victory, pouring in 14 points while Felix Pangilinan-Lemetti and Keith Datu each chimed in with 12 markers as they followed up on their previous 99-81 win over Eastern.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News