by Jonas Terrado
Game Today (Mall of Asia Arena)
6:30 p.m. – Phoenix Pulse vs San Miguel
Rain or Shine turned things around in the second half to outlast Magnolia, 84-77, and gain a headstart in their best-of-seven PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Rookie Javee Mocon and sophomore Rey Nambatac combined for 15 points in the third as the Elasto Painters recovered from a 47-39 deficit in the same period to take control of the contest until the final buzzer.
Old reliables Beau Belga and Gabe Norwood made baskets from the post and the perimeter while the rest of the team leaned on its defense to prevent the Hotshots from erasing a 10-point deficit.
Mocon was unflappable in his first semis game in his young pro career and finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Nambatac scored all seven points in the third while Belga and Norwood added 13 and 12 points in the win.
Elasto Painters coach Caloy Garcia lauded his boys’ performance but described the hard-fought result as a possible prelude of what to expect for the remainder of the series.
“I know we won but it was a hard battle,” said Garcia, whose team entered the series with the luxury of a five-day rest following its short work of NortPort in the quarterfinals.
The Elasto Painters go for a 2-0 lead tomorrow at the same venue, with the Hotshots hoping to play better with fatigue possibly playing a factor.
Paul Lee scored 15 points but cooled off after pouring 10 in the first half for Magnolia, which was two nights removed from beating Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in a best-of-three quarters duel.
Meanwhile, top seed Phoenix Pulse and defending champion San Miguel Beer begin their own best-of-seven battle at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The 6:30 p.m. showdown will see whether the Fuel Masters can weather the difficult task of beating the battle-tested Beermen.
Scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 84 – Mocon 15, Norwood 13, Belga 12, Daquioag 10, Rosales 9, Yap 8, Nambatac 7, Borboran 6, Ponefrada 2, Torres 2, Ahanmisi 0.
MAGNOLIA 77 – Lee 15, Sangalang 13, Barroca 12, Jalalon 11, Reavis 9, Melton 7, Ramos 4, Brondial 4, Dela Rosa 2, Simon 0, Herndon 0.
