RAIN or Shine broke away from a tight first-quarter and rolled to a second straight win with a 110-90 drubbing of Converge in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.
From a breakthrough win over Phoenix Super LPG, the Elasto Painters made it two in a row in beating down the FiberXers in the second quarter onwards with a no-none-sense job led by Santi Santillan, Andrei Caracut and Shaun Ildefonso.
Santillan came through with 23 points and 11 rebounds while Caracut had 15 markers and 13 assists in a pair of double-double outings to lead the Elasto Painters in a jump to a 2-4 card.
Ildefonso also scored 15 points as Rain or Shine sent Converge reeling to a sixth straight loss.
Caracut and Beau Belga drained two three-pointers each as the Elasto Painters made a decisive move in the second quarter, gaining crucial separation from a 24-all count in the opening period.
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Belga showed the way for the Elasto Painters with a triple-double of 25 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
From a 52-47 count at the half, the Elasto Painters pressed their bid harder, pulling away en route to the 20-point victory.
Coach Yeng Guiao lauded his troops for their effort, and looked forward to sustaining their run in their last five assignments.
In the last conference, they dropped their first five games but managed to make a turnaround and salvaged a spot in the playoffs at 6-5.
Converge, meanwhile, stayed on a lonely ride, dropping to 0-6 despite good numbers from Justin Arana, Alec Stockton, Deschon Winston and Brian Santos.
The FiberXers are now in imminent danger of missing the playoffs again. (SB)
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The Scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 110 - Belga 25, Santillan 23, Caracut 15, Ildefonso 15, Mamuyac 10, Demusis 6, Borboran 4, Clarito 4, Concepcion 3, Asistio 3, Norwood 2, Belga 0, Paredes 0.
CONVERGE 90 - Arana 20, Winston 14, Stockton 13, Santos 12, Delos Santos 7, Caralipio 7, Melecio 7, Zzaldivar 3, Balanza 3, Nieto 1, Ambohot 0, Maagdenberg 0, Fleming 0, Fornilos 0.
QUARTERS: 24-24, 52-47, 75-63, 110-90.
