MANILA, Philippines—Rain or Shine was up by 23 with just a quarter left to play, but the Elastopainters knew better this time around.
Rain or Shine stayed in control, doused Barako Bull’s uprising right in time for a 106-97 win Friday night in the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With its 84-61 lead slowly being trimmed down, eventually to the closest as seven late in the game, players like Paul Lee and Ryan Arana nailed the needed baskets to fend the Energy off.
It was exactly what head coach Yeng Guiao wanted his boys to do, haunted by the memory of last week’s 84-89 setback to Alaska in overtime, where they lost a 22-point lead.
“We didn’t want to make the same mistake with Alaska, where we had a good lead and we lost it,” said head coach Yeng Guiao after the game.
“We were able to push the pace as we had planned. High scoring ball game is good for us. Also, I thought they gave up too early on their import.”
Bruno Sundov, meanwhile, was a big help in making sure the Elastopainters formalize their entry to the quarterfinals with a 9-4 record, finishing with 25 points, including four triples.
DJ Mbenga, who suited for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA, hardly made his presence felt with just nine points, six rebounds and two blocks.
Danny Seigle singlehandedly tried to will the Energy back into the game into the fourth quarter, scoring 12 of his 19 points trying to do so.
But the Energy, which dropped to 4-9, couldn’t summon enough strength to get over the commanding lead in the fourth quarter.