By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Rain or Shine Elastopainters banked on their balanced offensive attack to give the Meralco Bolts their third-straight loss, 113-96, in the ongoing 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Down by as much as 14 points in the first quarter, the Elastopainters quickly flipped the switch in the second frame and stunned the Bolts after retaking the lead off a Norbert Torres fast-break layup in the 6:48 mark.
After the Torres breakaway deuce, Rain or Shine began to smell blood and didn’t look back after a momentum-clinching 13-2 run to end the first half with a 57-50 lead.
It was then all Rain or Shine in the next two quarters as the Bolts failed to equalize or retake the lead while losing in the scoring department, 56-46.
Former Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles’ two-way star Gian Mamuyac had a career-high night and dropped 21 points, three rebounds, three assists, and a steal on Meralco.
The athletic defensive guard showed he got more to offer for Rain or Shine and was a beast on the perimeter after shooting an efficient 6/7 from the two-point area.
Mike Nieto, Mamuyac’s former teammate in Ateneo, also had a solid contribution and fired 21 points on 5/8 shooting from the three-point area.
“I’m really impressed with our young guys. Malalaki ang puso, marunong lumaban. Pinakita naman nila ngayon ‘yan,” lauded coach Yeng Guiao.
Meanwhile, the returning Rain or Shine import Steve Taylor Jr. put up another dominant double-double performance and finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
Despite a 30-point output from Meralco’s import Johnny O’bryant, the team still struggled midway in the game and badly missed the presence of superstar Chris Newsome.
Newsome is yet to see action for Meralco that still has a chance to qualify for the playoffs with five more remaining games left against the San Miguel Beermen, Bay Area Dragons, Blackwater Elite, TNT Tropang Giga, and Magnolia Hotshots Chicken Timplados.
This is the worst start Meralco had in three years with a 1-5 win-loss record and is the second-worst team in the conference so far.
Meanwhile, Rain or Shine broke their two-game slump and took the much-needed win to improve to 3-3 while taking the seventh spot tied with NorthPort and Phoenix.
