By REYNALD MAGALLON
Rain or Shine’s trip down the memory lane marked a night that was also one for the books for Beau Belga.
A mark of true modern big man, the veteran center put together his first career triple-double as Rain or Shine whipped Converge, 110-90, to notch its first win streak of the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, April 3.
Belga stepped up big for his team’s depleted frontline, running Rain or Shine’s impressive show with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to help his team improve to a 2-4 slate much to the delight of team owner Raymond Yu and Terry Que in attendance.
The 37-year-old big man presided over a huge second half where the Elasto Painters started breaking the game wide open and built a lead that went to as high as 24 points in the final frame.
Making it even more fitting was that Belga became the first player in the Rain or Shine franchise to ever record a triple-double on the exact night when the team also paid homage to its humble beginnings by donning the retro ‘Welcoat Dragons’ jersey.
Belga’s impressive performance simply opened the floodgates to Rain or Shine run-and-gun offense as five other players scored in double figures for the team.
Leonard Santillan provided ample support for Belga with his own double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds while Shaun Ildefonso also stepped up in the absence of Adrian Nocum after finishing with 15 points.
Andrei Caracut also had a double-double of 15 points and career-high 13 assists while Gian Mamuyac chipped in 10.
Only up by five at the break, Rain or Shine clamped down on the defensive end in the third frame, limiting Converge to just 16 points to establish a comfortable 12 point lead heading into the final frame.
It was simply all Elasto Painters from there as the wards of head coach Yeng Guiao exploded for 35 points to put the fight out of the lowly Converge.