Rain or Shine vs. Phoenix
EVENTS: Full Game Replay
Where: Smart Araneta Coliseum
When: Sunday January 08, 2016
When: Sunday January 08, 2016
Rain or Shine denied the Fuel Masters another monumental comeback as it rolled to a 97-82 victory on Sunday for a rousing start to the year in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Facing a team that climbed from a 26-point hole to stun GlobalPort late December, the Elasto Painters saw a familiar rally by the Fuel Masters, but retaliated with a stronger finishing kick to coast to the win.
Jericho Cruz sparked the late surge for the E-Painters, who notched a second straight win and fifth overall in seven games to tighten their grip on second spot.
The E-Painters prevailed without injured standouts Raymond Almazan (foot) and Gabe Norwood (viral infection) as they handed the Fuel Masters their fourth loss in eight games.
“We just needed to start the year with a win,” RoS coach Caloy Garcia said. “Credit was to the players because they stepped up. I told them we shouldn’t rely on just one player. We needed to rely on the team.”