The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters showed no signs of championship jitters in their first game as finalists as they dominated the B-Meg Llamados, 91-80, at the start of the 37th PBA Governors’ Cup best-of-seven finals last night at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Painters, who are in the finals for the first since joining the league in 2006, dominated the final half of the hotly contested game marred by physical plays and the ejection of B-Meg head coach Tim Cone in the fourth quarter.
Import Jamelle Cornley keyed a decisive run for the Painters in the third period, where he poured 13 of his game-high 25 points.
The Llamados saw themselves on top for the last time early in the third, 41-40, as Cornley scored eight points in a 12-4 run that gave the Painters a 52-45 lead.
The Painters didn’t trail after that as things got out of hand for the Llamados in the final 7:23 after Cone was tossed out for throwing a monobloc chair into the court while the ball was on play.
Cone said in a post-game televised interview that he blew up after his players was hit several times but no fouls were called.
“I just got tired of pleading,” said Cone.
It also didn’t help that B-Meg’s import Marqus Blakely was hounded by foul troubles. Blakely, who scored just 12 markers, committed his fifth foul in the third and eventually fouled out in the final 37.4 seconds.
After Cone’s ejection, Rain or Shine completely pulled away behind a 9-1 run highlighted by Gabe Norwood’s back-to-back three pointers.
BOX SCORES
RAIN OR SHINE ( 91) -Cornley 25, Lee 14, Norwood 10, Buenafe 10, Belga 8, Ibanes 8, Chan 7, Arana 4, Quinahan 4, Cruz 1.
B-MEG (80) – Yap 19, Blakely 12, Pingris 12, Simon 9, Gaco 8, Barroca 6, Villanueva 5, Reavis 4, Urbiztondo 3, De Ocampo 2.
QUARTERSCORES: 18-16, 35-39, 66-59, 91-80.