ADRIAN Nocum drove to the playing venue Wednesday night with a great desire and determination to rebound from a so-so outing the last time out.
And he did, making a big turnaround from an eight-point showing in a loss to TNT, pouring in a career-high 30 this time to lead Rain or Shine to a 109-99 win over Phoenix Super LPG in the PBA Philippine Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
"Galing kami sa talo at sobrang sama nang nilaro ko. Wala akong inisip kung hindi makabawi," said Nocum shortly after his big bounce-back effort marked by 10-of-20 field shooting and 9-of-13 free throws.
The last time, he struggled with a 3-of-12 clip in their 103-111 loss to TNT.
Then there's the big help from Jhonard Clarito, Caelan Tiongson and Leonard Santillan as the E-Painters asserted themselves and dictated the pace for the most part in nailing a fifth win against three losses.
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Clarito delivered a double-double game with 20 markers and 10 rebounds while Tiongson and Santillan chipped in 14 and 12 points, respectively, as ROS broke free from a tie with TNT at sixth spot.
The Fuel Masters, fighting hard but not enough, dropped to 2-6 that allowed San Miguel Beer (6-2), NLEX (6-2) and Converge (6-5) to join pacesetter Magnolia (7-1) in early quarterfinals entry.
"Nailaro namin yung pace na comfortable kami. We're able to sustain that kind of pace. Overall, mabilis yung laro, nandoon yung ball movement namin, we're able to attack the basket and get to the foul line," said ROS coach Yeng Guiao.
"We survived a bad night in terms of turnovers with 19. That allowed them to get fastbreak points, pero maganda naman ang three-point shooting namin," Guiao added.
"We're aggressive and we're able to defend their key players Jason Perkins and Kai Ballungay, and that's where we're able to take control of the game. Ilang beses silang nakadikit, pero nagawan naman naming ng paraan."
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A big part of ROS taking control of the game was Nocum's big night. Nocum himself drained key baskets that sealed their victory.(SB)
The scores:
Rain or Shine 109 - Nocum 30, Clarito 20, Tiongson 14, Santillan 12, Caracut 8, Mamuyac 6, Asistio 5, Lemetti 4, Ildefonso 3, Norwood 3, Datu 2, Malonzo 2, Borboran 0.
Phoenix 99 - Tuffin 15, Verano 14, Tio 14, Jazul 11, Perkins 10, Garcia 8, Ballungay 8, Camacho 6, Daves 5, Manganti 3, Cullar 3, Soyud 2, Alejandro 0, Ular 0.
Quarterscores: 30-25, 57-43, 90-75, 109-99
