The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters refused to wilt under pressure, displaying the needed endgame poise to edge out the Meralco Bolts, 81-77, last night in the 37th PBA Governors’ Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
The tight win allowed the Painters to bounce back from their lone loss of the tournament and tied the B-Meg Llamados at the number spot with similar 5-1 (win-loss) records.
Rain or Shine absorbed its first loss a week ago when it bowed to the Powerafe Tigers, 98-104.
For a while, the Painters looked on the verge of tasting a second straight setback when the Bolts took a 75-72 lead on two free throws by Mario West with only 2:21 to play.
But the Painters didn’t cave in as Jervy Cruz completed two free throws and after an empty Merlaco possession, Jamelle Cornley sank a mid-range jumper that put the Painters on top, 76-75, with 1:31 left.
Sol Mercado had his own crucial play when he converted an acrobatic layup that put the Bolts on top once again in the final 50.6 seconds, 77-76.
Rain or Shine regained the lead when Paul Lee’s drilled in two free throws off Mercado’s foul with 37.6 left.
West then missed a layup in the next play but Meralco regained ball possession that went to naught after the Meralco import lost the ball while driving to the basket.
Gabe Norwood stretched the lead to three via two made free throws.
Lee practically sealed the outcome of the contest when Rain or Shine was slapped with a techincal foul for calling execessive timeouts.
Meralco had no timeout left when Asi Taulava called for a ceasefire while battling for ball possession against Cruz in the final 11.6 seconds.
Shooting 7-for-18 from the field, Cornley topped the Painters with 21 points, while Lee and Norwood added 16 and 10 points, respectively.
West scored 23 points but made just two in the final period as Meralco endured its fourth loss in six games.
The fourth quarter seems to be the waterloo of West, who was held scoreless in the final period of Meralco’s 100-95 beating of the Alaska Aces, where he scored 33 markers.