Raymond Almazan scored 26 for the Elasto Painters. PBA Media Bureau |
By Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA--Rain Or Shine banked on a fourth quarter storm to virtually eliminate Blackwater from PBA Commissioner's Cup quarterfinal contention through a 104-94 win at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Friday night.
In a game of spurts, it was the Elasto Painters who hurled out the last laugh as Chris Tiu led their final hurrah.
With his team down eight, 72-80, after three, Tiu went to work in the final frame, making four triples including three straight long bombs to spark ROS's 32-14 blasting of Blackwater as the team reclaimed solo first place in the standings at 7-1.
Tiu finished with 17 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds with one block to backstop Raymond Almazan, who led the E-Painters with 26 markers, 12 rebounds, one assist, and two blocks. Reggie Johnson and Maverick Ahanmisi also made 17 points each.
Allein Maliksi, who quickly found his rhythm in the first quarter, made 23 markers, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals for the Elite, who opted to play all-Filipino start the game.
The scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 104 - Almazan 26, Tiu 17, Johnson 17, Ahanmisi 17, Belga 6, Borboran 5, Norwood 5, Ponferada 4, Daquioag 3, Yap 2, Washington 2, Casiño 0, Nambatac 0.
BLACKWATER 94 - Maliksi 23, Pinto 16, Erram 10, Zamar 9, Sumang 8, Jose 7, Sena 6, DiGregorio 4, Al-Hussaini 4, Cortez 3, Belo 2, Walker 2.
Quarterscores: 25-28, 52-47, 72-80, 104-94.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno