As the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters headed into the semifinals, coach Yeng Guiao commended two players who shone bright in Game 5 of the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup quarterfinals.
Import Aaron Fuller’s hard work and Andrei Caracut’s big plays in the final minute were praised Guiao in the Elasto Painters’ semis qualification for a second straight conference.
Fuller topscored for Rain or Shine with 26 points, to go with nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.
“Aaron carried us on his broad shoulders. Magnolia’s defense was clamping down on him, double team, triple team, sometimes, the whole team is around him,” said Guiao when the game ended on Saturday night at the Ynares Sports Complex in Antipolo.
On the other hand, Caracut shot eight of his 14 points in final three minutes, with his two free throws handing the Elasto Painters team a comfortable 111-101 spread with 24.2 seconds left.
With their Game 5 triumph, after finishing their quarterfinal series with a 3-2 card, the Elasto Painters have joined Ginebra and TNT in the semifinal round.
“Andrei made some big shots. And to me, Andrei is the future of our team at the point guard position,” said Guiao.
Overall, Guiao said he is proud of how his players stood their ground against the Hotshots, who have experienced players in their roster.
“Pinaka-proud ako doon sa lumaban lang sila. They just competed. They fought it out. Hindi sila bumigay under pressure. It’s just the fighting heart that the guys showed,” added Guiao.
Guiao said the team was able to make the right adjustments after they won Game 1 with a 109-105 result, with Fuller leading with 24 points.
The Elasto Painters will clash with the TNT Tropang Giga in a best-of-seven semifinal affair.
