Painters weather Beermen's comeback try to stay unscathed

MANILA, Philippines -- Still unblemished. 

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters held on against the San Miguel Beermen to remain undefeated in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, 116-112, Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila. 

Rain or Shine weathered a furious rally by the Beermen, who cut a 25-point deficit to just two, before the Elasto Painters clamped down on defense late for the win. 

Jaylen Johnson led six Elasto Painters in double figures with 24 points, five rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal, while Adrian Nocum seconded the effort with 21 markers, five boards and two dimes. 

Jhonard Clarito chipped in 16 points and finished with a game-high +- of +36 in the victory. 

With the offense and defense clicking, Rain or Shine built a lead as big as 25 points, 92-67, in the third quarter after a layup by Mike Malonzo. 

A late triple by Andrei Caracut gave the Elasto Painters a 95-73 lead heading to the fourth, as it looked like an easy win for them. 

But it was anything but easy, as 18 straight points by the Beermen to start off the fourth cut the deficit to four, 91-95, with 8:23 remaining. 

Nocum finally put Rain or Shine on the board, but Juami Tiongson’s 4-pointer made it a two-point game, 97-99. 

But six straight Rain or Shine points kept their opponents at bay, 105-97, and it was a lead they held on to. 

After a triple by Marcio Lassiter made it a 112-116 deficit with a minute and seven seconds to go, neither team were able to buy a basket down the stretch. 

The Beermen had chances to tie things up, but Don Trollano and Justin Patton missed their attempts from 4-point area. 

June Mar Fajardo was able to get the offensive board, but he passed it to Felix Lemetti as time expired. 

Lemetti, Caelan Tiongson and Gian Mamuyac had 14, 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Elasto Painters. 

Marcio Lassiter powered San Miguel with 27 points and three rebounds in the losing effort. CJ Perez and Fajardo had 18 and 17 markers, respectively, while import Patton finished with 12 points and 17 rebounds as he battled foul trouble in the game. 

Rain or Shine rose to 5-0 in the conference, while San Miguel dropped to 3-3.