Author: Bon Maddagan
On August 24, in a game marked by offensive struggles on both sides, Rookie Felix Pangilinan Lemetti emerged, leading the Elasto Painters to the top of Group B with a 2-0 record.
Rain or Shine saw significant contributions from their players, with import Aaron Fuller delivering a monster performance, finishing with 16 points, 23 rebounds, and 3 assists. Andrei Caracut added 14 points, while Gian Mamuyac chipped in 9.
Brgy. Ginebra, on the other hand, was led by Japeth Aguilar, who had a dominant first half but was held to just 4 points in the second. He ended the game with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Scottie Thompson had 4 but grabbed 14 rebounds, Justin Brownlee tallied 18 points and Stephen Holt added 13.
Lemetti Proves His Worth with Key Performance
This game showed that the Elasto Painters didn’t make a mistake, in choosing Felix Lemetti as their 8th overall pick. The 6-foot-1 guard, who has experience playing in the US NCAA Division 1 and with the Swedish National Team, has been nothing but consistent in his first two games in the PBA. In today’s match, he scored 13 points and dished out 3 assists, most of his damage coming in the fourth quarter, where he spearheaded the game’s turnaround via a 20-3 surge.
Ginebra was in control for much of the fourth quarter, with Japeth Aguilar’s turnaround jumper giving the Gin Kings a 61-53 advantage. Given Rain or Shine’s shooting struggles, the win seemed almost assured for Ginebra. However, Lemetti had other plans. He made a layup under five minutes to cut the lead to 62-59. He also converted 3 of 4 free throws after Scottie Thompson made a huge mistake of fouling him on his four-point attempt. He followed up by assisting Jhonard Clarito for a transition layup, putting the Elasto Painters ahead 67-64. Rain or Shine’s defense then took over, with Clarito stripping the ball from Aguilar, preventing, what would have, been an easy score. With under a minute remaining, Lemetti would then drill a huge three-point bomb to finish off the Gin Kings.
The Scores:
- RAIN OR SHINE 73 – Fuller 16, Caracut 14, Lemetti 13, Mamuyac 9, Tiongson 5, Clarito 4, Belga 3, Ildefonso 3, Santillan 2, Nocum 2, Datu 2, Norwood 0, Asistio 0, Borboran 0
- GINEBRA 64 – J.Aguilar 20, Brownlee 18, Holt 13, Ahanmisi 5, Thompson 4, Go 2, Abarrientos 2, Cu 0
- QUARTERS: 19-16, 29-34, 51-52, 73-64
*Photo Credit: PBA Images
