Rain or Shine import Reggie Johnson makes a move against Meralco counterpart Arinze Onuaku. Richard Esguerra, ABS-CBN Sports

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATED) For the fourth time in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters were dragged to an overtime game.

And for the fourth time in the conference, the Elasto Painters proved to be the stronger team in the end.

Rain or Shine squandered an 18-point lead in the third quarter and went cold in the final four minutes of regulation, but regained their bearings in overtime to defeat the Meralco Bolts, 106-99, on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The crucial victory gave the Elasto Painters a 9-1 win-loss record, and assured them of the No. 1 seed in the playoffs which comes with a twice-to-beat advantage.

“This is the fourth overtime that we played this conference, and the nice thing about it is we won all four (games). It just shows the character of this team right now,” said Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia after their hard-earned victory. “I’m happy about it, but it’s still a long way for this team.”

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Indeed, even their victory showed how much the Elasto Painters still had to work on. They made 11 of 24 three-pointers in the first half to build a 64-51 halftime lead, and stayed in control, 73-55, in the early goings of the third quarter.

But Baser Amer and Chris Newsome sparked Meralco’s comeback as they combined for 20 of the Bolts’ 30 points in the third period. A booming triple by Newsome made it a one-point game, 80-79, with 1:23 left in the frame before a late charge by the Elasto Painters gave them some breathing room, 84-80, entering the payoff period.

Both teams struggled to score in the final quarter, though Rain or Shine briefly surged ahead, 96-94, with 4:12 left off a jump shot by Chris Tiu. However, it was the last time that they scored in regulation. Amer knotted the count off a lay-up in transition, and both squads exchanged bricks the rest of the way.

Meralco blew their opportunities as Ranidel de Ocampo and Amer bricked their triples, while ROS import Reggie Johnson also misfired on a fadeaway jumper over the outstretched arms of Meralco counterpart Arinze Onuaku. With a chance to win the game, Amer came up short on a floater, and on the other end, Johnson also hit iron on a jumper, sending the contest to an extra five minutes.

Johnson made up for his misses in regulation by drilling the go-ahead three-pointer in the overtime period. A De Ocampo lay-up trimmed the deficit to one point, 98-99, but it was Meralco’s last hurrah. Johnson drilled two charities and Tiu added a split at the line for a 102-98 count. Jared Dillinger made a free throw to make it a one-possession game, and the Elasto Painters left theai vision door open when Tiu traveled in their next possession.

Unfortunately for the Bolts, Newsome’s three-point attempt went in-and-out of the cup, and the swingman was called for a deliberate foul while trying to stop Tiu in transition. The ROS veteran made only one of two free throws, but in the bonus possession, Ed Daquioag knocked down a triple – Rain or Shine’s 17th of the game – that served as the dagger.

“Marami pa rin kaming turnovers,” noted Garcia. “We can still be better. We can still get better even while we’re winning.”

“But it’s good to be No. 1 right now,” he added. “It’s the first time I’m gonna have a twice-to-beat (advantage). Hopefully, tuloy-tuloy ito.”

Johnson finished with 21 points and 18 rebounds, while Maverick Ahanmisi did a little of everything as he contributed 20 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Tiu scored 13 points and Daquioag came through with 11 points on just five shots for Rain or Shine.

Meanwhile, it was a costly loss for the Bolts, which ended the elimination round with back-to-back losses for a 7-4 win-loss record. Onuaku had 20 points and 11 boards, but made only four of 13 free throws. Newsome finished with 21 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds, while Amer contributed 19 points and 10 boards.

The Bolts shot themselves in the foot by making only 20 of 38 free throws. Eight of those misses came in the fourth quarter and overtime.

The scores:

RAIN OR SHINE 106 – Johnson 21, Ahanmisi 20, Tiu 13, Daquioag 11, Almazan 9, Norwood 9, Yap 7, Nambatac 5, Belga 5, Ponferada 4, Casino 2, Torres 0, Washington 0.

MERALCO 99 – Newsome 21, Onuaku 20, Amer 19, De Ocampo 10, Canaleta 9, Hodge 7, Caram 4, Dillinger 3, Lanete 3, Tolomia 3, Hugnatan 0.

Quarter scores: 28-27; 64-51; 84-81; 96-96 (Reg); 106-99 (OT).

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