Rain or Shine exploded for 35 points in the third quarter to erase an 11-point halftime deficit and walk away with a 114-97 win over Powerade in Game One of the best-of-seven semifinal series of the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

Rookie Paul Lee anchored the Elasto Painters’ sizzling second half as he unloaded 22 of his personal-high 25 points after the break to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Jeff Chan fired a team-high 27 points, one shy of matching his career-high to lead Rain or Shine, which trailed by as much as 15 points in the game.

Rain or Shine showed the “never-say-die” spirit that Barangay Ginebra is known for.

The Elasto Painters clawed back from a 17-point deficit and banked on the heroics of rookie Paul Lee, Jeff Chan and Beau Belga to shock the Gin Kings, 112-105, in overtime and steal Game One of their best-of-three quarterfinal series Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

After trailing by 13 points entering the fourth quarter, Rain or Shine exploded for 43 points in the final 12 minutes and made the shots that mattered in the extra period to grab a 1-0 lead in the series.

Despite having the same win-loss record, Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao believes his team is the underdog when it begins its best-of-three quarterfinals battle against Barangay Ginebra on Friday.

“They have everything,” Guiao told InterAKTV. “They have the experience, the crowd and even the referees. A borderline call could always work in their favor.”

“These simply make our team an underdog. While Ginebra has been in the playoffs many times, we as a team has just started over.”

Rain or Shine set up an interesting date with Barangay Ginebra in the next round after beating the ousted Alaska squad, 91-85, Sunday at the end of the elimination phase of the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum

Even without head coach Yeng Guiao and top rookie Paul Lee, the Elasto Painters just had enough tools to thwart the upset-conscious Aces and end their elimination stage campaign in back-to-back wins for a 9-5 record.

Beau Belga and Ronjay Buenafe each had 14 points for Rain or Shine to lead the team’s balanced scoring.

Published on November 27, 2011

Mick Pennisi and Dylan Ababou checked their personal slumps and Barako Bull got back on track, topping Rain or Shine, 106-102, in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday night. 

Pennisi and Ababou combined for six-of-10 three-point shooting and a total of 43 points as Barako played with a newfound energy and confidence to snap a three-game losing skein. 

“Losing our last three games after four straight wins was tough for the team. It’s so good we got over the hump,” sighed Barako coach Junel Baculi.

B-MEG made sure that its sizzling start wouldn’t go to waste, holding on to a nail-biting 102-100 win over Rain or Shine for its fifth straight victory in the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup Friday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

James Yap had a game-high 32 points, including 19 in the first half, and Peter June Simon had the biggest shot in the game, a go-ahead three-pointer with under a minute left in the game. The win put B-MEG in a tie for third spot in the team standing with the Elasto Painters with a 7-4 win-loss mark.

“Two or three weeks ago, I knew we were playing better basketball, but I didn’t think we’ll win five straight,” said B-MEG coach Tim Cone.

Published on November 24, 2011

B-Meg is surging while Rain or Shine is skidding. Both teams may be charting opposite directions at the moment but an explosive collision will occur at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as the Llamados and the Elasto Painters continue pursuing one of the top two spots at the end of their 14-game schedule. 

The Llamados, who are already in sync with coach Tim Cone’s triangle offense, have made up for a faulty 2-4 start and pocketed four consecutive victories against Shopinas.com (76-65), Meralco (95-89), Alaska (92-89) and Barangay Ginebra (88-76) to improve to 6-4.

Injuries seem to not bother Talk ‘N Text after all.

Despite missing its key players in a crucial game, the Tropang Texters continued its onslaught in the 2011-2012 PBA Philippine Cup, as guard Jason Castro lifted Talk ‘N Text to a 106-104 overtime victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters Saturday at the Xavier University Gym in Cagayan de Oro.

Castro came up with a near triple-double, exploding for 21 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, including the game-winning basket with 1.8 seconds left in overtime to lead the defending champions to their sixth straight victory and grab the solo lead in the team standings with an 8-1 record.

Talk ‘N Text collides with Rain or Shine in a battle of tournament leaders in the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup Saturday at the Xavier University Gym in Cagayan de Oro.

The undermanned Tropang Texters square off with the Elasto Painters at 6:45 p.m. where at stake is the solo lead and the chance to boost their bid for the top two spots.

TNT is currently in the lead with a 7-1 mark while Rain or Shine is just half a game behind the defending champions with a 7-2 slate.

Tropang Texters head coach Chot Reyes said they are up for a stiff challenge against Rain or Shine mainly because of lack of personnel.

Published on November 18, 2011

Talk N’ Text aims to finish the elimination round in the top two spots and secure an outright semifinal berth in the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup. 

But considering their plight and their remaining schedule in the next four weeks, coach Chot Reyes said accomplishing their goal is a big question mark. 

“Hopefully we could win a couple more games. But we have a very tough schedule ahead. Right now everything is uncertain,” said Reyes, a five-time Coach of the Year.