By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Rain or Shine Elastopainters’ dominant start in the PBA Governor’s Cup continues after repelling the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 73-64, on August 24, 2024, at the Candon City Arena in Ilocos Sur.
After going down by as much as eight points in the final quarter of the game, the Elastopainters countered back with their offensive run to spoil Ginebra’s efforts.
From a 53-61 disadvantage, Rain or Shine were all guns blazing in the final 7:44 of the game as baskets from rookie Felix Lemetti and Keith Datu helped them get back into the ball game.
Datu kicked off the run with a cutting layup, followed by a barrage of layups from Lemetti who was relentlessly attacking the interior defense of Ginebra.
However, the momentum-changing sequence for Rain or Shine happened in the final 3:44 of the game, when they held the Gin Kings scoreless after erupting for a 9-0 run.
It was Lemetti who drained the big-time buckets for the Elastopainters, capping off the massive Rain or Shine rally with a dagger three-pointer that extended their lead to nine points, 73-64, in the final minute of the game.
After the Lemetti silencer, Ginebra head coach Tim Cone was forced to call a timeout, but his wards failed to buy a basket and concluded the game in an ice-cold exit.
Lemetti was the man of the hour for Rain or Shine as the rookie guard dropped 10 of his 13 total points in the fourth quarter, going unconscious inside the Candon City Arena.
Hardworking reinforcement Aaron Fuller was still a force to be reckoned with for the Elastopainters as the import had another monster double-double performance of 16 points and 23 rebounds.
Fuller, who was battling the taller frontcourt personnel of the Gin Kings featuring Japeth Aguilar, Isaac Go, and Stephen Holt, recorded his second straight double-double of the Governor’s Cup.
Andrei Caracut was also huge for Rain or Shine, hitting early three-pointers that answered every trey by Justin Brownlee in the first quarter with 14 points.
On the other hand, Aguilar and Brownlee had impressive outings for the Gin Kings, scoring 20 and 18 points, respectively, but needed more help from their teammates as Holt was the only local to reach double digits with 13.
