STRUGGLING teams usually pose the scariest upset tries. Terrafirma managed to stay within striking distance of Rain or Shine — until it faded in the fourth quarter last night.
Bolstered by a fiery push in the second half, the Elasto Painters tripped the hapless Dyip 106-94 for their second straight win in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Import Steve Taylor shone for Rain or Shine anew with 20 points, 24 rebounds, and three assists, while Gian Mamuyac added 17 markers, five boards, and two dimes.
Beau Belga and Andrei Caracut also teamed up for 24 points for the Painters, who scored a big follow-up to their 93-71 drubbing of Ginebra five days ago and hiked their mark to 2-1.
Terrafirma, coming off a 92-100 loss to Magnolia also last Wednesday, absorbed its third defeat in as many games that also extended the Dyip’s franchise-worst 19 straight setbacks dating back to the last Governors’ Cup.
Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao pointed to his charges’ emphatic triumph over the Kings that gave them a big boost but insisted Terrafirma was no pushover.
“We tried to pick up where we left off in our last game. That game gave us confidence and trust in ourselves na puwede pala, kaya pala naming manalo. Maybe we could compete,” Guiao said.
“Delikado rin iyong Terrafirma. They played three good quarters. Sa fourth quarter na lang bumigay. I think malapit nang ma-break iyong streak nila. Mabuti na lang hindi sa amin,” he added.
After the Painters took a 54-49 lead at the halfway mark, Mamuyac keyed a 17-5 blast bridging the third and fourth quarters that gave Rain or Shine a 75-66 bubble.
Mamuyac knocked down two straight three-pointers to end the third and canned six straight free throws that made it a 90-75 game for the Painters at the 7:04 mark of the final stanza.
A Caracut floater stretched Rain or Shine’s difference to as much as 103-85, only 1:43 left.
Reinforcement Lester Prosper was held to just 20 points after wounding up with 43 and 41 in the Dyip’s last two outings, while Juami Tiongson added 17 markers.
Alex Cabagnot and Joshua Munzon also got 14 and 11 points, respectively, for Terrafirma.
