Texters eye 3-1 lead: E-Painters thump Mixers, near final

Game today (MOA Arena)

6:45 p.m. – Talk n Text vs Alaska Milk

MANILA, Philippines - Governors Cup titlist Rain or Shine continued to compete well with a longer rotation of efficient, fighting players, as it pulled off an 83-74 win over San Mig Coffee last night to move on the verge of a second straight PBA final at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

As in their victories in Games One and Three, the Elasto Painters overwhelmed the Mixers with a solid team defense and a balanced attack to gain a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven semifinals.

Reigning champion Talk n Text eyes the same lead versus Alaska Milk as the two teams square off in Game Four of their own Philippine Cup Final Four showdown tonight also at MOA.

“They’re just forced to play their key players with a lot of minutes. James (Yap) played 42 minutes while PJ (Simon) and Marc (Pingris) played 34 minutes. For us, Gabe (Norwood) played the longest minutes at 32,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.

“We’re fresher and we’re sharper at this point. The complexion of the series can change but we’ll do our best for that not to happen,” Guiao added.

The Elasto Painters have a chance to wrap up the series in Game Five or in Games Six and Seven if necessary.

Reminded that they also took a 3-1 lead over the same rival and nearly lost it in the last conference, Guiao said: “That can happen if we become complacent and let our guards down. We’ll make sure to be ready for the next game. We’ll try to finish it off in the next game.”

The E-Painters picked up from where they left off in Game Three, making it two in a row as they led from start to finish.

So impressive was the balanced winning effort of the E-Painters, with Gabe Norwood and Ryan Arana pacing the team in scoring with 14 and 13 points, respectively, coming off the bench.

Ronnie Matias played only 14 minutes but hurt the Mixers badly with eight points and several hustle plays in the fourth quarter.

“Ronnie just hustled his way to being the best player of this game. I was a bit disappointed of him at first on two defensive lapses. I told him that at the half and when he came back, he more than made up for it,” said Guiao.

“I’m not really surprised the other guys stepped up while Paul Lee played horribly. Gabe, Ryan, Chris (Tiu) and Jireh (Ibanes) stepped up. And this is how this team is built. If others can’t contribute, the others will. We cover for each other,” Guiao added.

The same can’t be said of the Mixers who lean heavily on core players Yap, Simon, Pingris, Joe Devance, Rafi Reavis and Mark Barroca.

Arana and Norwood teamed up in a 14-4 run coming from the halftime break as the Elasto Painters led by 18 at 54-36.

Scoring only four points in the first half, Arana tossed in nine in that key attack on a three-point play and two triples.

Yap, Devance, Simon and Reavis worked together to bring the Mixers back into the game at 49-56.

Rain or Shine took the half at 40-32 with Guiao making good use of his bench, hurting San Mig Coffe with a balanced offense.

The RoS bench outscored its San Mig counterpart, 23-14, in the first 24 minutes of play.