Elasto Painters whip Hotshots Pier

MANILA, Philippines - Rain or Shine kept its sizzling run even with a crippled lineup as it upstaged Purefoods Star, 83-74, last night to stay within striking distance of leaders Alaska Milk and San Miguel Beer in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

TY Tang and Jonathan Uyloan played quality minutes in place of Jeff Chan and Chris Tiu, coming through with key plays in the crunch as the Elasto Painters stretched their streak to five games and improved to 7-2 (win-loss) at third place.

Rain or Shine sneaks into the Top Two and gains outright semifinals passage with wins in its last two games against Alaska Milk and Barangay Ginebra.

Earlier, Globalport resumed its campaign under interim coach Eric Gonzales by shocking Barangay Ginebra, 98-77.

Losses by Purefoods and Ginebra dragged them down to 5-4, just half game up on Globalport (5-5) and a game ahead of Meralco (5-5) in the fight for the last two slots in the Top Six.

Tournament format calls for the Top Two to automatically make the semis and the next four to clinch twice-to-beat advantage versus Teams 7-10 in the quarterfinals.

Even minus Chan, Tiu, Jeric Teng and Jervy Cruz, the E-Painters sustained their hot run, pulling a crucial one against the Purefoods side that beat them in two finals showdowns last season.

“I couldn’t give the guys enough credit tonight. They just put in a tremendous effort. The guys wanted to win the game,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.

Terrence Romeo came up with 25 points and five rebounds in a solid relief job while rookie Anthony Semerad produced 17 markers as the Batang Pier pounced on the Kings’ continued slump to gain the crucial win that sent them back into contention for a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarters.

The scores:

First Game

GLOBALPORT 98 – Romeo 25, Semerad 17, Cabagnot 15, Jensen 11, Pinto 5, Buenafe 5, De Ocampo 5, Baclao 4, Caperal 3, Ponferada 3, Pringle 2, Nabong 2, Isip 1, Taha 0.

GINEBRA 77 – Slaughter 21, Aguilar 14, Tenorio 11, Baracael 10, Yeo 6, Ellis 4, Caguioa 4, Mamaril 3, Helterbrand 2, Brondial 2, Monfort 0, Forrester 0, Urbiztondo 0, Reyes 0.

Quarterscores: 24-16, 52-31, 75-57, 98-77

Second Game

RAIN OR SHINE 83 – Lee 18, Tang 11, Norwood 11, Quiñahan 11, Uyloan 9, Belga 7, Cruz Jericho 6, Araña 6, Almazan 4, Ibañes 0, Chan 0.

PUREFOODS 74 – Mallari 12, Yap 11, Devance 10, Simon 9, Melton 8, Barroca 8, Pingris 6, Maliksi 5, Reavis 4, Taha 1, Allado 0, Gaco 0, Holstein 0.

Quarterscores: 16-17, 38-32, 60-54, 83-74