SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Friday night is Jeff Chan’s night.
Chan showcased once again his deadly Gilas Pilipinas form as he dropped 34 points on 7 three-point bombs to help the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters surpass the Barako Bull Energy Cola, 99-95, in the PLDT myDSL Philippine Cup on Friday, December 27 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Chan exploded right away in the first half with 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc to lead all scorers at the break with a whopping 19 points.
But of his 7 triples, Chan made the most crucial one of all – a game-clinching triple with 8 seconds left to take back the lead from Barako and notch a two-point lead, 97-95.
An all-important steal by another Gilas Pilipinas member Gabe Norwood sealed the game for the Painters as they rose to a 6-3 win-loss card.
Rain or Shine led by 14 points at the half, 56-42, before Barako mounted a comeback on the combined efforts of JC Intal, Rico Maierhofer and Dorian Peña who scored 20 of Barako’s 27 third quarter points as they also limited Rain or Shine to 19 points.
Barako Bull continued to push the ball in the payoff period as they kept in step with the Painters in the final 12 minutes.
A Willie Miller trey with 2:14 left cut Rain or Shine’s deficit to just 3, 91-94. That was followed by a Peña bucket at the 1:33 mark to make it just a one-point game, 93-94.
Both teams then missed on several plays from that point, including a triple attempt by Chan, with the game still up for grabs with 23 seconds left.
Following back-to-back timeouts, however, Miller came alive and scored the go-ahead jumper with 18 seconds remaining, 95-94. But it turned out that Barako did not pound hard enough to eke a win as Norwood sank two freebies to set the final tally.
“We’re lucky to survive a really good offensive night for those guys [Barako Bull],” Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao said, commending the Energy Cola for their efforts. “Barako Bull gave us a really tough time. They didnt give up even though we had a double-digit lead in the first half.”
He stressed that the absence of one of his bigmen Beau Belga, who is suffering from measles, is no excuse for them not to win.
“These things will happen every once in a while and we cannot fault somebody getting injured or somebody not playing for any losses,” he explained.
“I did not even mention it because it was not even in my head. I did not want to make it an issue.”
Without Belga, Rain or Shine was out-rebounded, 53-50, by Barako. The Painters also gave up 16 second-chance points.
For Barako, it was a sorry loss following their inspired and dominant win against Meralco as they dropped to 3-7.
The scores:
Rain or Shine (99) – Chan 34, Lee 14, Cruz 8, Nuyles 8, Norwood 8, Quinahan 6, Tang 6, Teng 5, Rodriguez 4, Arana 2, Almazan 2, Tiu 2, Ibanes 0.
Barako Bull (95) – Intal 16, Pena 15, Maierhofer 14, Miranda 14, Miller 9, Pennisi 6, Lastimosa 5, Isip 5, Jensen 4, Macapagal 3, Marcelo 2, Labagala 2, Wilson 0, Buenafe 0.
Quarters: 28-21, 56-42, 75-69, 99-95
– with reports from Jane Bracher/Rappler.com
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.