Paul Lee drives to the hoop. PBA IMAGES
Rain or Shine rode on a big second quarter to whip a listless Blackwater side, 123-85, and snap a two-game slide in the 2015 PBA Governors’ Cup Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
The Elasto Painters were desperate for a win and it showed, hacking out one of the most dominant victories of the season. They wasted little time and went on to outscore the Elite, 31-13, in the second period.
Paul Lee nearly had a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds with four assists to boot—stuffing the stat sheet almost effortlessly—with the opposition showing futile resistance.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve been in a situation like this,” said Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao. “We’re just struggling, we’re just living day-to-day, game-to-game, a win like gives our confidence a boost. We’re still not giving up this conference, we’re just trying to survive and avoid elimination.”
“When you’re drowning, you just cling to anything that can give you some buoyancy,” added Guiao, whose team came into the game having lost four of its first five games.
Sitting at the bottom of the standings, Blackwater showed no signs of urgency and with the way Rain or Shine had its way at the offensive end—hitting layups and scoring baskets in transition like it was still shoot around early— the game was practically over by the end of the first half.
After three quarters, the only thing left to decide was if Rain or Shine will be able to eclipse or at least match its most lopsided win in franchise history when it ripped Alaska by 51 points last season.
“We were not even thinking about that,” Guiao said with a laugh if the Painters were looking to beat their feat.
Import Wendell McKines recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds for Rain or Shine. Jervy Cruz also had 15 while Jeff Chan tallied 12 points and five rebounds.
Marcus Douthit scored 14 points but grabbed just five rebounds for the Elite, who absorbed their third straight defeat and sixth in seven games. CC