RAIN OR SHINE Head Coach Yeng Guiao will make sure they won’t succumb to the same mistake that cost them Game One of their semifinal duel with Alaska in the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup.
The Elasto Painters built a lead comfortable enough only to lose against the spirited aces, 80-87, on Thursday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
They again meet in Game Two starting at 5 p.m. in the same venue and, this time, Guiao stressed they won’t be collapsing. They led by 17 points in Game One but lost their chemistry and are now in the brink of falling into a 0-2 hole in the best-of-seven series.
Rain or Shine eyes the equalizer in their 5 p.m. encounter with the Aces at the Mall of Asia Arena. Guiao admitted that his players failed to capitalize on their hot start as the Aces made an unbelievable run in the second half.
“We had a good start and a good lead. But we couldn’t hold it. The challenge for us is to sustain the effort. If we can cut down our turnovers and rebound better, we can even up the series,” Guiao said.
“We had good looks at the basket but our shots just didn’t fall mostly in the second half. We just have to keep taking the open shots,” he added. Alaska closed out the game with a 14-3 run to steal the victory. The Aces also outrebounded the Elasto Painters, 58-46, an area that Guiao thinks they need to improve on in Game Two.
Sonny Thoss, Jayvee Casio and Calvin Abueva led Alaska’s comeback as they combined for 46 points. RJ Jazul came off the bench and contributed 12 markers. Veteran center Eric Menk continues to provide quality minutes for Alaska Coach Alex Compton—along with Ping Exciminiano. Their Game One victory, according to Compton, boosted the team’s morale. The Aces suffered a humiliating 51-point loss to the Elasto Painters last conference.
“It just means we can beat them. It just means we have lessons to be learned,” Compton said. “Our guys don’t stop to play hard.”
Alaska’s win snapped Rain or Shine’s seven-game streak in the tournament. But that doesn’t dishearten Guiao.
“We still have a chance to recover. We just have to figure out how to at least [even up the] rebounding,” Guiao said. “If we can do that, I think we will be okay.”
Image credits: Kevin dela Cruz and Arvin Lim