Painters turn tables on Road Warriors to stay unbeaten

MANILA, Philippines -- The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters came back from 21 points down in the first half and drubbed the NLEX Road Warriors, 124-105, to remain unblemished in the PBA Governors’ Cup Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.

Jhonard Clarito led the way for Rain or Shine with 24 points, five steals, four assists and three rebounds on a perfect 9-of-9 clip.

Gian Mamuyac added 22 points, six rebounds and three steals while Aaron Fuller had 21 and 20 rebounds.

With NLEX trailing by nine, 103-112, with 3:23 remaining after a short stab by Dominick Fajardo, Rain or Shine took over late to secure the victory.

A corner 3-pointer by Andrei Caracut sparked a 9-0 run that put the game completely out of reach.

After a pair of misses by Fajardo, a putback by Fuller, a transition layup by Clarito off the steal and a floater by Caracut put them ahead, 121-103.

A Fajardo deuce with 1:16 remaining cut the run, but a Caelan Tiongson trey closed the door completely on any comeback attempt and set the final score, 124-105.

“We were going into this game looking at how we can manage the game of the import [Myke Henry] and Berto [Robert Bolick]. We are confident about our offense. We were able to play at the pace that we wanted to play and moved the ball a lot. We got our looks,” head coach Yeng Guiao told reporters after the win.

“Konting pasensya lang, darating ang opensa,” he added.

NLEX had a blistering start in the game, leading by as much as 18 points, 40-22, at the end of the first frame.

The lead grew to 21, 45-24, early on in the second quarter, but a 34-9 run by the Elasto Painters gave them a 58-54 advantage not more than eight minutes after capped by a pair of free throws by Fuller.

With the momentum clearly on their side, Rain or Shine broke the game wide open in the third frame, taking an 18-point lead of their own, 84-66, after a Mamuyac layup.

Caracut and Tiongson chipped in 17 and 10 markers, respectively.

Robert Bolick spearheaded the Road Warriors with 22 points, seven assists and four rebounds while Henry had 21 on 9-of-14 shooting.

Rain or Shine is now undefeated in three games, while NLEX dropped to 2-1.