By REYNALD MAGALLON
Rain or Shine made sure that there will be no repeat of a heartbreaker against against San Miguel.
The Elasto Painters outran and outgunned the Beermen to pull away in the second half and avenge their first round loss with a 122-112 victory in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 19.
Rain or Shine created the separation behind a huge third quarter effort from Andrei Caracut who fired 12 of his 20 points in that frame while getting steady contributions from across the board to pick up its seventh win in nine games.
The win not only gave Rain or Shine a shot at possibly securing the top seed but also ended a record of futility against San Miguel which they have not beaten in their last 11 meetings including their last matchup which the Beermen won, 113-112, behind a buzzer-beating jumper from Fajardo.
Up only by one, 67-66, early in the third, ROS unloaded a 12-3 spurt to establish a double-digit advantage, 79-68 – a lead, despite the repeated efforts of the Beermen, the Elasto Painters managed to protect until the final horn.
Caracut had four triples to his name while issuing eight assists and without a single turnover.
Import Aaron Fuller and Beau Belga shone on both sides of the floor as aside from limiting June Mar Fajardo to just 14 points, the former posted 17 points and 11 rebounds while the latter had a conference-high 16 points built on two triples.
Three other players finished in double-figures for ROS with Adrian Nocum finishing with 16 points, Gian Mamuyac with 12 and Gabe Norwood with a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.
CJ Perez finished with 27 points, six rebounds and six assists but failed to finish the game after fouling out with still 4:15 left and the Beermen trailing, 115-104.
Terrence Romeo also exploded for 16 points in the second quarter to finish with 24 points while import Jordan Adams also added 24 points, five rebounds and five steals but was not anymore fielded in the waning minutes.
