On Sunday, Aaron Fuller and the rest of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters took the fight to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. They started off strong, forced Ginebra to play catch-up, and held off every comeback bid.
After the game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, the bullstrong lefty talked about how defense was the key to Rain or Shine’s dominant 110-99 victory over their PBA Commissioner’s Cup conquerors.
“We wanted to emphasize defense, and we were doing a lot of switching, so I felt like that kind of helped us stop their ball movement, try to keep them off balance,” said Fuller.
Indeed, Rain or Shine’s defense was on point, as it came up with timely defensive stops in the final minutes. The Elasto Painters also forced more turnovers—21 compared to 16—and scored more points off turnovers, 27-13. Crucially, they kept Ginebra to just 37.9% shooting from downtown.
Fuller Highlights Extra Work
Aside from unforgiving defense, Rain or Shine also got a big lift from Fuller offensively. The 36-year-old finished the game with 37 points to go along with 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.
When asked what prompted such an impressive scoring performance, Fuller credited the extra work he puts in outside of the team’s practices.
“Just trying to finish around the basket, take what the defense gives me. My teammates are looking for me, so just doing a lot of hard work outside of practice, and it’s paying off,” Fuller explained.
Fuller, who is currently averaging 32.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 steal through four games this conference, has helped Rain or Shine win two straight games and improve its record to 2-2.
As the Elasto Painters prepare to face Magnolia on July 31 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Fuller’s effort on both ends of the floor will be crucial if Rain or Shine hopes to secure its third victory of the Governors’ Cup. So will their defense.
