Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters erased an 18-point deficit to shock the San Miguel Beermen, 98-94, in their first tussle of their best-of-five semifinals series in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup on Sunday (April 24) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Maverick Ahanmisi paced the Elasto Painters from the bench with 23 markers.
San Miguel asserted their dominance as early as the first quarter after opening up a 33-15 lead.
The Elasto Painters cut the deficit to 40-50 at the stroke of halftime before finally grabbing their first taste of the lead in the final period of play after Jewel Ponferada made two free throws to give them a 83-82 lead.
The two side exchanged leads going into the stretch drive, but a Jeff Chan triple gave Rain or Shine the lead at 95-94, with 1:03 left to play.
The Beermen turned the ball over with 30 ticks left on the clock as Rain or Shine extended their advantage to 97-94 after a pair of Maverick Ahanmisi from the free throw line.
The Beermen’s late ditch efforts were for naught, as Rain or Shine held on for the game one victory.
San Miguel import Tyler Wilkerson led his side with 40 points in a losing effort.
After the game, Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao gave credit to his players’ perseverance despite admitting that he almost gave up hope himself.
“The players did not give up, I almost gave up,” said Guiao. “So it is really a credit to the character of the team.”
San Miguel will look to bounce back on Tuesday (April 26) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
