PBA Governors' Cup

Qualls’ bounce-back game a silver lining for Guiao after forgettable Rain or Shine debut

Delfin Dioquino

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Qualls’ bounce-back game a silver lining for Guiao after forgettable Rain or Shine debut

REDEMPTION. Michael Qualls puts Rain or Shine on his back with impressive numbers.

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Even as Rain or Shine remains without a win in the PBA Governors' Cup, import Michael Qualls shows why the Elasto Painters brought him in

RIZAL, Philippines – Michael Qualls proved to be a bright spot even as Rain or Shine stayed winless in the PBA Governors’ Cup after blowing an 18-point lead in a 105-100 loss to TNT on Friday, January 27.

The American import got to show why the Elasto Painters brought him in as he finished with 35 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals to redeem himself from his underwhelming Rain or Shine debut against Meralco.

In the 105-87 defeat to the Bolts, Qualls recorded 14 points after making just 3 of his 22 field goals for a horrific 14% clip.

“That is part of the good sign that we can take away from this game today,” Elasto Painters head coach Yeng Guiao said of Qualls’ upgraded performance.

“I had a talk with him, he really got frustrated in the first game. He also got frustrated in this game. Actually he was missing free throws, he was taking bad shots towards the end, but it is still a lot better than the Meralco game.”

Although Qualls can still work on his efficiency after going 10-of-26 (39%) from the field and 12-of-19 (63%) from the free throw line, he sank crucial buckets that allowed Rain or Shine to stay in the game.

Qualls scored a triple and a floater in succession to pull the Elasto Painters within 100-102 before Mikey Williams sealed the win for the Tropang Giga with his own clutch three-pointer.

“I think just like the whole team, I’ll take this kind of game anytime from these guys. We can only get better,” said Guiao.

Despite going down 0-2, Guiao feels the way his wards fought against TNT is a step in the right direction as the team continues its hunt for its first win.

“It is still a sign of improvement,” said Guiao. “I guess once we break the ice, we’ll play better.”

Rain or Shine faces another tough test as it battles unbeaten Converge next on February 2 at the PhilSports Arena. – Rappler.com

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Delfin Dioquino

Delfin Dioquino dreamt of being a PBA player, but he did not have the skills to make it. So he pursued the next best thing to being an athlete – to write about them. He took up journalism at the University of Santo Tomas and joined Rappler as soon as he graduated in 2017.