Lee, Painters stymie Batang Pier fightback

RAIN or Shine star Paul Lee (left) intercepts a pass to Terrence Romeo of Globalport in last night’s game at Smart Araneta Coliseum. AUGUST DELA CRUZ

Paul Lee scored 25 points and hit crucial free throws down the stretch as Rain or Shine posted a 104-98 victory over Globalport last night for its second straight win in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup eliminations at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Elasto Painters flirted with disaster in the fourth period, allowing the Batang Pier to whittle down an 18-point lead early in the quarter to as little as three before eventually prevailing and rising to 2-1 overall.

“Globalport played a really good game, it was difficult to put them away,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao. “At times I thought that we would win with some comfort, but they just kept coming back.

“It’s always useful to ward off those kinds of fightbacks,” Guiao added. “It helps you stay strong and prepare for other games that will test you. But I just feel that you can’t keep testing yourself.

“If you put yourself in a position to lose, you will lose some games. We can’t keep struggling in the endgames.”

Rain or Shine import Rick Jackson contributed 16 points, 18 rebounds and six assists and also made two charities in the fourth quarter that kept Globalport at bay.

All told, Rain or Shine shot 13 of 16 from the stripe in the payoff frame, with those free throws putting to naught Terrence Romeo’s superlative offensive effort that almost carried the Batang Pier through.

Romeo, locked in an interesting matchup with Lee the whole night, hit four of his six triples in the final period.

Import CJ Leslie scored 10 of his 29 points in the same stretch where Globalport dropped 40 points on the Painters.

“It’s a rivalry that I think will be very interesting,” Guiao said of the Lee-Romeo matchup. “It’s a treat for the fans, as long as it doesn’t get nasty.”

Romeo finished with 29 points and three steals. Leslie had 17 rebounds for the Batang Pier, who are now at 1-2 after their second consecutive defeat.

Meanwhile, Alaska and NLEX try to barge into the win column when they clash today in a Petron Saturday Special game scheduled at 5 p.m. at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Aces, the second placers in the Philippine Cup, will be coming off an completely listless debut that saw them yield an 88-108 decision to defending champion Purefoods last Wednesday.

The scores:

First Game

RAIN OR SHINE 104—Lee 25; Jackson 16, Cruz 10, Chan 9, Belga 9, Tang 8, Uyloan 7, Norwood 7, Arana 6, Almazan 3, Tiu 2, Quinahan 2, Ibanes 0.

GLOBALPORT 98—Leslie 29; Romeo 29, Pringle 16, Isip 8, Buenafe 4, Ponferada 4, Miranda 3, Jensen 3, Semerad 1, Taha 1, Caperal 0, Pinto 0, Baclao 0.

Quarters: 27-20; 53-52; 75-58; 104-98