Rain or Shine rookies pull off confidence-boosting games in Blackwater rout

MANILA, Philippines — Depth and youth were on full display for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters Tuesday night. 

Rain or Shine completely decimated the Blackwater Bossing by 56 points, 151-95, in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup battle Tuesday evening. 

There, eight players finished with at least 12 points for the Elasto Painters, who shot 54.1% from the field. 

Sixteen Rain or Shine players saw action in the blowout victory, and all played at least six minutes.

And while veteran guard Andrei Caracut (22 points) and import Jaylen Johnson (20 points) top-scored for the Elasto Painters, rookies Deo Cuajao and Jun Roque also impressed.

The PBA-debuting Cuajao finished with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 15 minutes of play in a starting role. Roque had 13 markers, eight boards and three dimes in 21 minutes off the bench. 

Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao said that he was not surprised with how Cuajao played in the game. 

“Binigyan talaga namin ng minutes this game kasi hindi ko siya nagamit sa previous three games namin, and I see him in practice and he’s… he deserves to get minutes,” Guiao told reporters after the game. 

“Hindi ko lang maisingit dahil mahaba ang rotation natin, so tingin ko, maganda siya start sa game today, nag-deliver siya. Yung ginagawa niya sa game, that’s his regular game, that’s his regular performance, even in practice,” he added. 

“I’m not surprised. Even si Jun Roque, maganda rin nilaro. Solid game din is Josh David.” 

Both former Letran Knights, Roque was the 12th overall pick of the 2025 draft, while Cuajao was the 22nd overall player selected. 

David, who finished with four points and three assists, was picked 24th overall. 

It was a blowout right from the get-go, with Rain or Shine taking a 42-15 lead at the end of the first.

It set the tone the rest of the way, as the winning team led by as much as 58 points, 151-93, with a minute remaining.

Guiao also underscored the importance of building the rookies’ confidence, and he was able to do that when they were in full control of the contest. 

“When I felt na medyo we were in control of the game, I just gave them extra minutes to build their confidence,” the coach said.

“Yun naman ang objective namin, just to make our team deeper, make our rookies more confident about their game…  Natutuwa kami pag nagsasucceed yung mga kasama namin, di lang puro pang sarili,” he added.

“Same chance we give veterans is the same chance we give to the rookies whenever it's possible.”

According to the PBA, the 56 point win by the Elasto Painters set the new all-time record for biggest win margin. The previous high was the 55 points set by Utex over Great Taste in 1980. 

The 151 points scored by Rain or Shine is also the new all-time franchise record, and is the second-most points output in a game this season, just behind San Miguel’s 158-117 win over Titan Ultra last conference. 

Rain or Shine is the lone remaining undefeated team in the conference. Toting a 4-0 card, the Elasto Painters will take on the San Miguel Beermen next Wednesday.