Painters best Hotshots to enter PBA semis vs Tropang Giga

MANILA, Philippines — The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are off to the next round of the PBA Governors’ Cup after pulling away late against the Magnolia Hotshots, 113-103, in Game 5 of their quarterfinal series Saturday evening at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

With the win, the Elasto Painters will be facing the TNT Tropang Giga in the best-of-seven semifinals.

Aaron Fuller dominated from the inside with 26 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals. Jhonard Clarito and Adrian Nocum added 17 apiece.

It was a game that was too close for comfort for both teams, with Rain or Shine holding a two-point lead, 85-83, heading into the fourth quarter.

The Elasto Painters, though, slowly broke the game wide open with a 7-2 run to start the final frame capped by a Nocum layup to go up, 92-85.

It was a spread that was maintained by Rain or Shine, before Jabari Bird cut the deficit to two, 99-101, with 5:32 remaining.

Andrei Caracut and Fuller, though, teamed up and unleashed an 10-2 run to help the winning team go up by an insurmountable eight point lead, 111-101, with 24 seconds left.

“Ang pinaka-proud ako doon sa lumaban lang sila, that they just competed, they fought it out, hindi sila bumigay under pressure. It’s just the fighting heart that the guys showed,” Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao said.

“It’s an advantage that we won the first game because na-ga-alternate lang yung results ng laro… It’s an advantage in adjustment, after you win the first game, you get to make the adjustments ahead of the other team. So, yun lang ang advantage namin, nakapag-adjust kami,” he added.

The Elasto Painters’ defense was top-notch, forcing Magnolia to commit 20 turnovers compared to their 12.

The transition game of Rain or Shine was also in full display, as they recorded 22 fastbreak points compared to the Hotshots’ 13.

Caracut finished with 14 points and four rebounds for the Elasto Painters. Santi Santillan and Keith Datu chipped in 12 and 11, respectively.

Bird’s double-double of 23 points and 15 rebounds was not enough to tow the Hotshots to the victory. Calvin Abueva and Jerrick Ahanmisi backstopped with 16 and 15 markers, respectively.