Paul Lee of Rain or Shine (dark) vs Alex Cabagnot of Petron (light)
MANILA, Philippines — Petron used a relentless fourth quarter to keep Rain or Shine at bay for a convincing 99-84 victory Friday in the 2013 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Import Elijah Millsap came through every time the Blaze Boosters needed him, knocking down timely triples to douse every fightback of the Elastopainters.
Petron came out firing, leading by 20 points at the half, but ended up flat in the third quarter while Rain or Shine tried to chip away the lead.
The Elastopainters managed to pull within 13, 68-81, behind Arizona Reid and Paul Lee at the end of third, but the Blaze Boosters opened with five straight points to regain momentum.
“I want to commend my players. They showed toughness and mentally,” said head coach Gee Abanilla. “Playing Rain or Shine is very hard, we’re lucky to have this win tonight.”
Reed exploded with 33 points for Petron along with 13 rebounds, three assists and four steals, while Cabagnot had 16 points, 11 boards and four dimes.
The Blaze Boosters blemished the Elastopainters’ unbeaten start in the conference, as both teams are now even at 2-1.
The loss spoiled Reid’s 30-point, 14-rebound effort for Rain or Shine.
The scores:
Petron 99 – Millsap 33, Cabagnot 16, Santos 13, Fajardo 12, Lanete 6, Lutz 5, Kramer 5, Tubid 5, Lassiter 4, Yeo 0.
Rain or Shine 84 – Reid 30, Lee 12, Quinahan 11, Tang 8, Belga 6, Cruz 5, Chan 5, Matias 3, Norwood 2, Arana 2, Tiu 0, Ibanes 0.
Quarters: 27-16, 56-36, 81-68, 99-84