PBA: Santillan waxes hot as Rain or Shine downs Terrafirma for third straight win

Rain or Shine extended its winning streak to three after escaping Terrafirma, 106-91, on Friday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

After a tight first period, the Elasto Painters pulled away in the second period to establish a 54-39 lead by the end of the first half. 

However, the Dyip, led by Jerrick Ahanmisi, Brent Paraiso, and Paolo Hernandez, outscored Rain or Shine in the third period to claim a 75-72 lead just before a Santi Santillan triple tied the game to close the quarter.

From then, Rain or Shine rallied and opened the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead, and eventually pulled away, thanks to another 9-0 run to claim a 98-84 lead past the halfway mark of the fourth period. This was enough to hold off the Dyip as the Elasto Painters cruised to the victory.

Santillan caught fire from rainbow country as he drilled six triples en route to a 26-point outing, on top of seven rebounds, two steals, and an assist, while Keith Datu had 12 points. Felix Lemetti and Jhonard Clarito, meanwhile, added 11 points apiece as Rain or Shine improved to 4-1.

Ahanmisi, on the other hand, had 25 points, while Hernandez had 20 points as JM Bravo registered a double-double of 17 points, eight of which came from the fourth period, and 15 rebounds. The third straight loss, however, put them down to 1-4.

Scores:

Rain or Shine 106 – Santillan 26, Datu 12, Lemetti 11, Clarito 11, Nocum 10, Norwood 9, Asistio 8, Malonzo 8, Belga 5, Caracut 4, Mamuyac 4, Ildefonso 0, Porter 0.

Terrafirma 91 – Ahanmisi 25, Hernandez 20, Bravo 17, Paraiso 9, Sangalang 8, Rivero 5, Zaldivar 4, Hanapi 2, Catapusan 1, Olivario 0, Mariano 0, Garcia 0.

Quarters: 26-25, 54-39, 75-75, 106-91.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News