Raymond Almazan (RoS) vs John Ferriols (Meralco). NUKI SABIO
Rain or Shine lost its early lead but recovered in the fourth quarter to beat Meralco, 99-86, and take a 1-0 headstart in their best-of-five semifinals duel in the 2015 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Their series resumes on Sunday night also at the same venue with the top-seeded Elasto Painters looking to grab a commanding 2-0 lead.
“We just broke away in the fourth quarter. They kept close to us for three quarters and again it’s our experience that gave us the advantage being able to play a good finish in this game,” said ROS head coach Yeng Guiao. “All that experience is going to show in the fourth quarter.”
“It’s a good thing to gain an advantage of having won the first in a five-game series but it’s far from over,” Guiao added.
Import Wayne Chism had 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field that went with 14 rebounds and three blocks while backup center Raymond Almazan and swingman Gabe Norwood gave the Painters a lift in the fourth quarter where they helped their team reestablish a double-digit lead.
Rain or Shine had nine players with at least six points. Paul Lee contributed 14 points, Norwood, Chris Tiu, Jervy Cruz and Jericho Cruz tallied nine each while Almazan scored eight on 3-of-3 shooting.
Apart from its balanced offense, the Painters also locked in at the defensive end, limiting the Bolts to just 39% from the field and also containing import Josh Davis.
The hardworking Davis scored just 11 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in 42 minutes of action.
Almazan stretched Rain or Shine’s lead back to 10 after a one-handed dunk early in the fourth quarter before Norwood drilled in a triple, had a steal and a couple of assists to help his team build a 12-point advantage, 94-82, with 3:10 remaining. CC