Elasto Painters hands HK Eastern its first defeat
Rain or Shine gave Hong Kong Eastern their first loss in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup, 99-81, on Wednesday, December 4, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Elasto Painters were led by their import Deon Thompson who was impressive in his debut game producing 21 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks.
"We're happy with the way he performed. He was late coming in. Wala pa siyang isang linggo, but he changed our chemistry for the better. Mas maganda ang ikot ng bola namin sa kanya," said head coach Yeng Guiao about their reinforcement.
"He's got the inside game and the outside game. Medyo malas pa sa labas. Pag lumabas tunay na laro, mas magiging problema siya ng ibang team," he added.
The fiery mentor also pointed out that their defense holds the best three-point shooting team to only 7-of-12 from beyond the arc. He also added that while they're opponents were missing shots, they were making their own.
"Pumasok ang three-point shooting namin ngayon. Mas madaling manalo kung pumapasok ang three-point shooting," said Guiao.
Leonard Santillan helped RoS with his 18 markers, five boards, one dime, and a deflection, while Keith Datu and Caelan Tiongson added 10 apiece.
On the other hand, HK Eastern heavily relied on Cameron Clark who tallied 30 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Sheik Muhammad Sulaiman and Yin Lung Cheung both scored 11 points to help Clark.
Hayden Blankley was not his usual self as he only had seven points in a poor 1-of-15 shooting from the field.
Kobe Lam's contributions were also deficient as he only gave six markers for the Hong Kong based team.
Glen Yang did not play as he was not with the team who flew in the country because of passport issues.
Eastern will try to bounce back when they face the TNT Tropang Giga on December 8 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, while the Elasto Painters will be seeking for their second straight victory against the San Miguel Beermen on December 10 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.
The Scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 99 - Thompson 21, Santillan 18, Datu 10, Tiongson 10, Nocum 8, Ildefonso 8, Caracut 7, Belga 5, Clarito 4, Lemetti 3, Asistio 3, Demnusis 2.
EASTERN 81 - Clark 30, Cheung 11, Sulaiman 11, Cao 9, Blankley 7, Lam 6, Zhu 5, Guinchard 2, Chan 0, Leung 0, Pok 0, Xu 0.
Quarter Scores: 24-18, 43-34, 70-64, 99-81.
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