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MANILA, Philippines – Rain or Shine gained headway against Meralco with a 99-86 win in Game 1 of their best-of-five semifinal series at the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Tuesday.
Fresh from a 92-91 elimination of Barangay Ginebra in the quarterfinals, the Elasto Painters continued their momentum by systematically holding off the Bolts in the first three quarters before pulling away during the payoff period.
Six of Meralco’s players scored in double digits, but this was offset by the Elasto Painters’ balanced attack that nearly had each of their players contributing in offense.
Wayne Chism topscored for Rain or Shine with 18 points to go with his 14 rebounds, while Paul Lee added 14 points.
Gary David led the Bolts with 14 points, while Cliff Hodge and Sean Anthony each had 13 markers. Josh Davis added 11 points to go with his 15 rebounds.
After staring at a 25-29 deficit at the end of the opening quarter, Meralco was able to seize a slim 33-32 lead midway the second canto. Jervy Cruz and JR Quinahan fought for Rain or Shine to force a 49-49 deadlock by the end of the first half.
Jonathan Uyloan and Norwood spearheaded the Elasto Painters in the third period with a 14-5 run that had the Bolts trailing 65-74. This ballooned to an 11-point gap after Chism’s jumper 7 minutes to go before regulation.
David and Davis desperately tried to bridge the gap but could not get their team closer than 10 points.
The scores:
Rain or Shine 99 – Chism 18, Lee 14, Norwood 9, Cruz Jericho 9, Tiu 9, Cruz Jervy 9, Almazan 8, Uyloan 6, Teng 6, Arana 3, Ibanes 2, Tang 2, Belga 2, Quinahan 2, Chan 0.
Meralco 86 – David 14, Hodge 13, Anthony 13, Davis 11, Cortez 11, Hugnatan 10, Ferriols 6, Wilson 3, Macapagal 3, Caram 2, Reyes 0, Ildefonso 0, Sena 0, Buenafe 0.
Quarterscores: 29-25, 49-49, 74-71, 99-86
Photo: Mark Cristino/ABS-CBN
This story was republished with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
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