By Ivan Saldajeno
DUBAI--Rain Or Shine and GlobalPort gave a jampacked Al-Shabab Arena a treat by stepping on the gas early into their PBA Governors' Cup showdown on Friday (Philippine Time).
The Batang Pier tried to bank on their defense that earned them three wins in four matches entering the Dubai match, but in the end, the Elasto Painters prevailed.
Rain Or Shine withstood a second half blitz from GlobalPort to escape with a 119-112 win in the first of a two-part PBA special in Dubai, the fourth time the league held games in the commercial emirate of the United Arab Emirates.
Both clubs went on full throttle in the first quarter, combining for 70 points in the said period, the most in the conference so far.
The Elasto Painters then began pulling away in the second, leading by as much as 18 before settling for a 66-49 scoreline at the half, limiting the Batang Pier to 17 in the said frame.
GlobalPort slowly crawled back in the third quarter. Led by Jarrid Famous and Terrence Romeo, the team pulled to within six, 74-80, with around four minutes left in the period.
An 8-2 run by the Elasto Painters sparked by a triple from Jericho Cruz and capped by another long tom from Beau Belga stretched the gap to 12, 88-76, later in the period.
The Batang Pier ended the third with a 6-2 run of their own to cut the lead to eight, 90-82.
Both teams exchanged baskets early in the fourth before GlobalPort made a mini-rally to cut the lead to five, 111-106, with 2:24 remaining in the game.
But a triple from Gabe Norwood turned out to be the dagger for Rain Or Shine even as he also dished an alley-oop pass to Wendell McKines, who threw the two-handed dunk in for the exclamation point.
McKines led the Elasto Painters, who won for the first time after a string of two losses to begin their Governors' Cup campaign, with 28 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal.
J.R. Quiñahan provided the spark off the bench as he added 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting.
Romeo exploded for a career-high 40 points along with nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals, while Famous, in his Batang Pier debut, finished with 26 points, 16 rebounds, and a block.
GlobalPort's Asian import Omar Krayem tallied 24 points, six assists, four rebounds, and four steals.
Rain Or Shine will play Ginebra on Saturday (Philippine Time) in the said arena.
Box Scores:
Rain Or Shine 119-McKines 28, Quiñahan 24, Norwood 12, Belga 12, Lee 9, Jeri. Cruz 9, Araña 8, Tang 6, Jerv. Cruz 6, Uyloan 3, Ibañes 1, Almazan 1
GlobalPort 112-Romeo 40, Famous 26, Krayem 24, Kramer 5, Buenafe 5, Miranda 4, Jensen 4, Isip 4, Semerad 0, Mamaril 0, Taha 0, Ponferada 0
Quarterscores: 38-32, 66-49, 90-82, 119-112
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