IT was one moment when Joel Wright got it all wrong.
And when it happened, it was but the beginning of the end for Rain or Shine.
Coach Caloy Garcia said the Elasto Painters were goners when their import was called for a flagrant foul penalty one in the closing minutes of the team's 103-91 loss to TnT Katropa Saturday night in the PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Wright was whistled with the crucial call for intentionally tripping Troy Rosario with 3:50 left in the game and Rain or Shine in the middle of a big run going home.
As a result, the 29-year-old import was forced to sit out the rest of the game that stopped the Elasto Painters on their tracks and suffered their second straight loss in three outings.
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"I think the turning point was when our import got called for an unsportsmanlike foul, which is really an unsportsmanlike foul," said Garcia after the game.
"I think he lost it. I think he felt he was hit in the face, but Troy had an accidental hit on the ball."
Wright did claim that he was hit by Rosario on his face with the ball following a rebounding battle. He also mentioned about a lot of 'dirty stuff going on,' but later sounded apologetic by saying he should be out there with his teammates, and not on the bench in the last three minutes.'
Garcia said Wright, who previously played for the Star Hotshots, should have known it better.
"I think he has to learn in such situation that we needed him in the game. We already had momentum (when he committed the foul)," said the Rain or Shine coach, noting the Elasto Painters were only down by 86-92 when Wright was forced to sit down.
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"So basically, he has to learn from that. Whatever the league that you played, you have to know what happened first before you can do that especially in that situation where we had a chance."
Wright still leads the Elasto Painters with 20 points and eight rebounds, but shot just 8-of-20 from the floor.
Garcia is not taking the victory away from the Katropa though, as it now share the lead with idle NLEX (2-0).
"TnT played a lot better. They're a great team," he said. (GR)
