Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 27) — The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters weathered a late TNT KaTropa rally to stay alive in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday evening at the Mall of Asia Arena.
J’nathan Bullock paced his team with 31 points as the ElastoPainters registered the 106-102 victory.
Gabe Norwood added 15 points of his own.
Both teams contested a hard fought first half, which saw the lead exchange hands a total of 10 times. But it was Rain or Shine which got the upper hand at the halftime break, 52-47.
The Elasto Painters looked ready to run away with the victory, after sailing to a 102-82 advantage midway through the fourth quarter.
But TNT refused to back down, mounting an 18-2 run to turn the deficit to just four with only 51 ticks left to play.
The KaTropa inched even closer through a Glen Rice Jr. slam, 105-102, with 30 seconds left on the clock.
Unfortunately for TNT they could not overcome Rain or Shine’s advantage.
Kelly Williams and Jayson Castro led the way for TNT with 23 and 22 points, respectively.
Despite the poor fourth quarter, Rain or Shine head coach Caloy Garcia was happy with his team’s defense that helped them build up a healthy lead in the third frame.
“I told them from the beginning, we’re a good matchup for Talk and Text,” Garcia said. “Its about who wants it more on the defensive side.”
The TNT KaTropa will look to bounce back against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Friday evening also at the Big Dome.
