After sinking four game-winning free throws last time out, Anton Asistio came up big anew for Rain or Shine as the Elasto Painters made it four wins in a row in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup.
Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao is very generous when it comes to giving players their time to shine night in and night out.
Anton Asistio made sure to capitalize on that for the second consecutive time in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup, coming up big in the Elasto Painters’ 91-80 win over Phoenix on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Just days after cooly sinking four free throws to seal a come-from-behind win over Titan Ultra, Asistio turned in 20 points, three rebounds, and three assists in a victory over the Fuel Masters.
“Thankful lang din na binibigyan ako ni coach Yeng to be there during crunch time, trying to make the right plays,” said Asistio, whose team rolled to a fourth straight win after splitting their first two games.
Rain or Shine now holds temporary lead with a superior 5-1 win-loss record.
At the end of the match at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Asistio admitted he was trying to ride the crest of his confidence-building moment against the Giant Risers.
“Yeah of course. Any time you hit big free throws like that, syempre you wanna ride yung momentum and yung confidence na dala nung result na yun,” he said.
In the fourth period, Asistio dropped two triples in a telling 13-0 that gave Rain or Shine the lead for good, 81-70, with still 5:53 minutes left to play.
Gian Mamuyac then put the finishing touches to the victory, scoring the team’s last four points inside the final minute.
Mamuyac ended up leading all scorers with 22 points, three rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
Jhonard Clarito had 11 points, Adrian Nocum added 10 points, and Keith Datu put up nine points, four rebounds, and three assists, before going down with what appeared to be a knee injury.
“The score doesn’t reflect the closeness of the game. If you look at the score, I think it’s a double digit lead but it’s a lot closer than that,” said Guiao.
Meanwhile, Jason Perkins tried to will his team to the winning column, exploiting the absence of Datu inside the paint for a while before ending up on the losing end.
He wound up with 17 points and seven rebounds.
Sean Manganti added 13 points and Bryan Santos had nine points and 11 rebounds for the Fuel Masters, who continued to dig a deeper hole with a fourth straight loss for a 1-5 card.
Rain or Shine vs Phoenix Scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 91 – Mamuyac 22, Asistio 20, Clarito 11, Nocum 10, Datu 9, Malonzo 6, Santillan 4, Norwood 2, Belga 2, Porter 2, Lemetti 1, Caracut 0, Ildefonso 0
PHOENIX 80 – Perkins 17, Manganti 13, Santos 9, Ballungay 9, Tio 8, Rivero 7, Garcia 6, Tuffin 6, Kwekuteye 3, Daves 2, Nelle 0, Caperal 0
Quarterscores: 21-15, 36-37, 63-63, 91-80
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.