MANILA – Rain or Shine Elasto Painters erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, 102-100, in the 2024-25 PBA Commissioner’s Cup last night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
Trailing 89-100 with six minutes left, the Painters got a three-point play from Andrei Caracut, a three-pointer from Caelan Tiongson, a free throw from Deon Thompson, and a four-point shot from Caracut to tie the score at 100-all.
The Painters took the lead at the 3:28 mark on a fastbreak layup by Adrian Nocum before they prevented the Hotshots from connecting the rest of the way to preserve the win.
Caracut finished with 15 points, three assists, and two rebounds to be named Player of the Game as the Painters notched their third consecutive victory to improve to a 3-1 win-loss slate.
Thompson led the way for the Painters with a double-double of 18 points and 15 rebounds, Leonard Santillan added 17 markers, while Tiongson and Nocum had 11 and 10 points, respectively.
“We just got lucky actually,” said Painters head coach Joseller “Yeng” Guiao. “Gusto ko ‘yung ipinakita naming laban, for most part lamang kami, nawala lang ‘yung momentum namin, pero what I like about this game is nakabalik kami.”
Ricardo Ratliffe finished with a double-double of 27 points and 13 rebounds, Ian Sangalang added 21 markers, while Andy Mark Barroca and Zavier Lucero ended with 18 and 11, respectively, as the Hotshots dropped to a 1-4 record.
On Tuesday night, RJ Jazul stepped up offensively as the Phoenix Fuel Masters scored a 115-109 victory against the NorthPort Batang Pier to secure their first win of the conference.
The former Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights guard finished with a season-high of 14 points, including three three-pointers, to go with five assists and one rebounds as the Fuel Masters improved to a 1-4 win-loss slate.
Donovan Smith tallied a double-double of 32 points and 14 rebounds, Jason Perkins added 24 markers before fouling out, while Kenneth Tuffin contributed 15 markers for Phoenix./PN
BOX SCORE:
RAIN OR SHINE 102 – Thompson 18, Santillan 17, Caracut 15, Tiongson 11, Nocum 10, Belga 7, Clarito 6, Datu 6, Lemetti 5, Malonzo 4, Asistio 2, Ildefonso 1.
MAGNOLIA 100 – Ratliffe 27, Sangalang 21, Barroca 18, Lucero 11, Abueva 8, Lee 4, Dionisio 4, Ahanmisi 4, Dela Rosa 2, Lastimosa 1, Laput 0.
Quarterscores: 31-23, 50-47, 81-78, 102-100.
