Rain or Shine survives Purefoods rally, forces Game 5

Eddie Laure redeemed himself from a big Game Two booboo as he emerged Rain or Shine’s savior in surviving a fourth knockout game in two weeks, forcing a sudden death with Purefoods in their KFC PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals showdown.

Before a huge Friday crowd at the Araneta Coliseum, Laure nailed a trey coming off the bench in the final minute then the Elasto Painters made crucial defensive stops as they topped the Giants, 103-100, for the second straight game, thus, extending their battle to a deciding Game Five Sunday.

The series should have been over now if not for Laure’s costly foul sending James Yap for the winning free throws with six-tenths of a second left in Game Two. “Bumawi,” said Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia of Laure who knocked in the triple giving the Elasto Painters back the lead just after the Giants erased a 20-point deficit and surged ahead at 100-98.

In the ensuing plays, Gabe Norwood blocked a shot by James Yap then forced Roger Yap to an error in two defensive gems helping Rain or Shine clinch the win that forced a two-game-all standoff in the best-of-five series.

“Once again, we came out to compete. We blew away a 20-point lead but credit to the players, they didn’t give up and showed composure at crunch time,” said Garcia. “Hopefully, makalusot uli sa Sunday. Purefoods has the edge in experience and talent because they’ve been here before and they’re loaded with talents. But if we’re able to compete, I think we can pull off an upset,” Garcia also said.

The Elasto Painters continued to fight with grit and determination as they overcame Kerby Raymundo’s big return from a one-game layoff. The versatile 6-foot-6 forward exploded for 34 points, including three three-pointers that helped fuel Purefoods’ searing rally in the fourth quarter.

As Raymundo scored his final basket in the night, the Giants tied the game for the first time at 98-all with 1:51 left to play. Purefoods then grabbed the lead at 100-98 as Roger Yap eluded Sol Mercado for a layup. Just when everybody in the venue thought they’d seen the last of Rain or Shine, Laure came off the bench and buoyed the Elasto Painters’ spirit in drilling in a trey. Laure, the skipper of the team, was 1-of-4 from the field when he returned to the floor at the finish.

Mercado and Norwood once again delivered big numbers with the former putting in 24 points, eight assists and four rebounds and the latter logging in 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Ryan Arana, Jervy Cruz and JayR Reyes were three other Elasto Painters who finished in double figures. Raymundo tallied 34 points, seven rebounds and five assists but Purefoods’ other star in James Yap struggled for only eight points. “It was a key factor that we’re able to limit James’ production,” said Garcia. (SB)

The scores:

Rain or Shine 103 - Mercado 24, Norwood 20, Arana 11, Cruz 10, Reyes 10, Hrabak 9, Telan 7, Laure 6, Chan 4, Tang 2, Ibanes 0.

Purefoods 100 - Raymundo 34, Pingris 20, Yap R. 19, Reavis 10, Yap J. 8, Canaleta 5, Salvador 3, Artadi 1, Timberlake 0, Simon 0, Adducul 0, Allado 0.

Quarterscores: 31-15, 50-39, 85-68, 103-100

Source: Author Unknown  | PBA.ph