The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters came out on Tuesday like a team desperate for a win—and they got it.
Losers of two straight, the Elasto Painters turned things up on Tuesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, hacking out a 105-98 win against the erstwhile unbeaten Phoenix Fuel Masters thanks in part to a strong start and a composed finish. It is Rain or Shine’s first win this PBA Governors’ Cup.
Rain or Shine Was Nearing Desperation
If the Elasto Painters looked like a team desperate for a win, it is because they were close to desperation. That’s what losing your first two games in a conference—131-108 to the Blackwater Bossing and 122-114 to the Meralco Bolts—can do. And Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao himself admitted it after the game, along with the key areas he wanted his team to improve.
“Medyo malapit na kaming maging desperado, kailangan na talaga naming manalo,” Guiao said in the postgame presser. “‘Yung mga previous na talo namin, talo kami sa rebounding, tapos ‘yung gini-give up naming percentage medyo mataas, so it’s really ‘yung rebounding namin saka depensa namin that was lacking in our last two losses. So, we made it a point na talagang pinagsikapan namin na maayos ‘yung depensa at maka-rebound kami…”
The Elasto Painters certainly fixed both on Tuesday. They held Phoenix to only 98 points—or nearly 30 points less than the 126.5 points per game the team surrendered in their two losses. Crucially, for the first time this conference, Rain or Shine won the rebounding battle, 51-45, after losing the same to Blackwater and Meralco.
Sense of Urgency, Finally
Rain or Shine import Aaron Fuller echoed Guiao’s assessment.
“It feels good to get this win. Finally we played with some sense of urgency,” he said. “Coach told us to really focus on defense and rebounding, and that’s what made the difference.”
Fuller was at the forefront of it all, firing a game-high 28 points and hauling down a game-best 16 boards, 7 of which came on the offensive glass. He had plenty of help, too, with Adrian Nocum (18 points, 8 assists), Mike Malonzo (12 points, 6 rebounds), and Andrei Caracut (9 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) among the notable contributors.
But that all started with the Elasto Painters playing with a sense of urgency—something a team usually plays with when they’re desperate for a win.
