RAIN or Shine guard Anton Asistio fell after shooting a three-pointer in the face of Blackwater’s last-ditch comeback try last night.
What mattered was that Asistio boomed in that triple and practically took the fight out of their foes.
Working behind a balanced offensive attack, the Elasto Painters tamed the Bossing 110-97 to kick off their drive on a high in Group B play of the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
After seeing his long bomb find the bottom of the net, the pint-sized Asistio punched the air with both fists and let out a huge roar, his trey pushing Rain or Shine’s advantage to 105-92 with 1:31 to go.
Painters’ coach Yeng Guiao was pleased his wards passed their initial test with flying colors.
“Our focus was really to just play our game–fast paced and I wanted the guys to feel good about taking their shots when they’re open and moved the ball,” Guiao said. “I’m very happy with the way we shared the ball.
“Masaya din ako sa performance ng rookies namin. Caelan (Tiongson) played well. Felix (Lemetti) played well. In the short time Luis (Villegas) played, he played well although he’s not yet 100 percent,” he added.
Returning to the pro league after his last stint with TNT two years ago, import Aaron Fuller notched a double-double of 24 points and 19 rebounds, to go with two assists for Rain or Shine while Tiongson, tabbed seventh overall in the annual Draft last month, chipped in 15 markers, five boards, and two dimes despite having flu in the morning.
Leonard Santillan added 12 and two while Lemetti and Gian Mamuyac had 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Painters.
Guiao’s squad took a 59-50 lead at the halfway mark it stretched to as much as 83-62 behind Fuller and newly minted Most Improved Player Jhonard Clarito heading into the fourth canto.
A Troy Rosario putback off a miss from beyond the arc by No. 2 pick Sedrick Barefield pulled Blackwater to within 92-102, still 2:17 left.
But Asistio’s trifecta sealed the victory for a Rain or Shine crew that Guiao described as an able team that reached the semifinals of the last Philippine Cup.
Barefield totaled 18 points and four caroms for the Bossing while James Kwekuteye had 17 markers.
Bradwyn Guinto also got 15 points and five rebounds for Blackwater, but Bossing reinforcement Ricky Ledo could only muster 12. Rosario also contributed 10 points for Blackwater.
