Rain or Shine survives Meralco in OT, snatches No. 1 QF spot
Rain or Shine secured the No. 1 spot in the quarterfinals plus a twice-to-beat advantage after a 106-99 overtime win over Meralco on Sunday in Season 43 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
Import Reggie Johnson, Chris Tiu and Ed Daquioag fired crucial shots in the extension period to help the Elasto Painters stretch their winning streak to six games for an improved win-loss record of 9-1.
“Another overtime game for us. This is our fourth overtime and the nice thing about it is we won all four. We showed a great character tonight and I’m happy about it, but it is still a long way for our team. It is good to be the No. 1 team and hopefully it continues,” said Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia.
“It was a good game both teams played hard, both teams have their own runs and we came on top and that’s what really matters,” said Johnson, who finished with 21 points including four three-point shots plus 18 rebounds and three blocks to lead the Elasto Painters.
Maverick Ahanmisi tallied 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists while Tiu and Daquioag contributed 13 and 11 points, respectively, also for Rain or Shine.
Chris Newsome posted 21 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds while Arinze Onuaku finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Bolts.
Meralco finished the elimination round with a win-loss record of 7-4 to stay in contention for a quarterfinals spot.
Meanwhile, Magnolia has confirmed that it has already replaced import Justin Jackson with former Northern Luzon Expressway import Wayne Chism.
Chism is expected to play against NLEX, when the league resumes on July 4 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Scores:
Rain or Shine 106 – Johnson 21, Ahanmisi 20, Tiu 13, Daquioag 11, Almazan 9, Norwood 9, Yap 7, Belga 5, Nambatac 5, Ponferada 4, Casiño 2, Torres 0, Washington 0.
Meralco 99 – Newsome 21, Onuaku 20, Amer 19, De Ocampo 10, Canaeta 9, Hodge 7, Caram 4, Lanete 3, Dillinger 3, Tolomia 3.
Quarters: 28-27, 64-51, 84-81, 96-96, 106-99
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