RAIN or Shine overcame a surprisingly gutsy stand by Terrafirma to come out a 95-84 victor and hit its twin goals Wednesday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the PhilSports Arena.
Andrei Caracut, with some help from Jhonard Clarito, accounted for a 7-0 run that enabled the Elasto Painters to stretch their lead to 90-80, only 1:40 left, that proved enough to finally quell the Dyip's threat.
Rain or Shine's sixth win in nine games bolstered its hopes of landing a top four slot and getting rewarded with a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
For winning coach Yeng Guiao, who dug deep into his bench, being able to keep his main players fresh for Saturday's match against San Miguel Beer and yet still overcome Terrafirma is a double blessing enough.
"It's a good thing we were able to keep our guys fresh kasi isang pinaghahandaan din namin 'yung game namin sa Sabado," said Guiao.
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"We have to fly out, one day of rest, then practice again, then game ulit. So what was really on our minds was to still keep them fresh for Saturday's game and at the same time try to win this game. Na-accomplish naman namin."
The loss was Terrafirma's ninth straight that dropped it to a 1-9 slate, with perhaps its last outing in the PBA before the franchise is officially sold set Sunday against Blackwater.
The Dyip could have possibly won more with the kind of tenacity they showed against the E-Painters, gamely battling back from a 55-73 deficit after three quarters to come tantalizingly within 80-83, still 3:33 left.
"Mahirap kasi na if we you give them a small window they're going to gain confidence. It's really different playing without pressure. They're just trying to give a good show," said Guiao.
"Iyun ang sinasabi ko sa kanila: 'Mag-ingat tayo kasi p'wede talagang mangyari iyan and nangyari nga.' But it's a good thing we are able to hold them back," added Guiao.
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Further taking the luster out of the loss was Stanley Pringle becoming the 100th and latest member of the 5,000-Point Club, a feat he achieved right in the first half that saw the Dyip lead by as much as 28-21, only to be limited to just five points for the rest of the second period.
The trend held true in the late stages of the game with Terrafirma fading and Rain or Shine regrouping led by Caracut's personal tear he capped with a triple.
All 13 players fielded by Guiao scored with Clarito leading the way with 12 points and Caracut 11. Chipping in 10 points each were Leonard Santillan, Anton Asistio and Francis Escandor.
Louie Sangalang led all scorers with 22 points with Pringle adding 18, 11 rebounds and six assists.(NC)
The Scores :
RAIN OR SHINE 94 - Clarito 12, Caracut 11, Santillan 10, Escandor 10, Asistio 10, Mamuyac 9, Datu 8, Nocum 7, Ildefonso 7, Tiongson 3, Norwood 3, Porter 2, Malonzo 2.
TERRAFIRMA 85 - Sangalang 22, Pringle 18, Nonoy 10, Hernandez 8, Ramos 7, Catapusan 7, Melecio 5, Paraiso 5, Zaldivar 3, Hanapi 0, Olivario 0.
QUARTERS: 20-21, 45-34, 73-55, 94-85
