Rain or Shine continued its sizzling start as it gave Alaska a rude welcome, 85-72, with its stellar play in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City yesterday.
Rey Nambatac paced the Elasto Painters with a team-high 12 points while big men Beau Belga and Raymund Almazan added 11 and 10 markers, respectively.
Rain or Shine won its second straight, improving to 4-1 to stay in second place while Alaska opened its campaign with a loss, 0-1.
The in-form Elasto Painters mauled the undermanned Aces right from the get-go.
Turning in a burly opening salvo, Rain or Shine already opened up a double-digit lead, 25-14, at the end of one.
Using its momentum, the Elasto Painters kept on pouncing, stretching their cushion to 21 points, 46-25, with over two minutes before halftime after an 18-3 blast late in the second quarter.
Alaska contributed to Rain or Shine’s strong first half onslaught as well.
The Aces, playing only in their first game this conference, shot an abysmal 22-percent from the field in the first 24 minutes of play as they showed a lot of rust from inactivity.
While Rain or Shine kept the fire burning, Alaska never found its mark, allowing the Elasto Painters to breeze the rest of the way.
Alaska last played in December where it bowed down to Magnolia in the finals of last season’s Governors’ Cup.
The Aces missed the services of key cogs Vic Manuel, Jayvee Casio and Simon Enciso who are still recovering from various injuries.
Jeron Teng had a game-high 15 points for Alaska but didn’t get enough help from his teammates.