Rain or Shine survives Iran in 2OTs to win first Jones Cup Game

Rain or Shine in the 42nd William Jones Cup. –CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Rain or Shine finally got its first victory in the 42nd William Jones Cup after needing two overtime periods to defeat Iran, 98-90, on Wednesday at Taipei Heping Gymnasium.

The Elasto Painters broke away with seven straight points from an 88-all tie to put themselves in the win column after dropping their first four matches in Taiwan.

Ange Kouame scored six in the second extra session on his way to 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks to help Rain or Shine make sure that another game won’t slip away once more.

Coach Yeng Guiao’s squandered a pair of winnable games against the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in the past two days despite holding leads in the second half.

Andrei Caracut scored 19 points while Santi Santillan added 17, including a three-point play that sealed the final tally. Import Nick Evans added 11.

Rain or Shine could have finished it off in regulation but Iran, which appeared to have fielded players who are not part of the Fiba Basketball World Cup, scored six in a row to force an extension tied at 74-all.

It took another overtime period before the Elasto Painters finally took command for good.

A basket broke the final tie of the game before Anton Asistio buried a long triple with 1:14 left to make it 93-88 in favor of the Elasto Painters.