PBA: Big Beau Belga's clutch performance sends Rain or Shine to the semifinals

(Updated 8:23pm) The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters leaned on Beau Belga late in the fourth quarter to eliminate the GlobalPort Batang Pier, 106-96, in the PLDT MyDSL 2014 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals, Wednesday, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Rain or Shine has now won eight consecutive games and are the first team to advance to the semifinals. The seventh-seeded Batang Pier failed to arrest their skid and dropped out of the championship race after losing seven of their last eight games.

With Rain or Shine's 15-point lead whittled down to two, late in the fourth quarter, Beau Belga nailed a three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining, then made a crucial rebound and a steal leading to a 3-of-4 stint at the free throw line, to seal the Elasto Painters' semifinal berth.

During the 2013 Governors' Cup, Rain or Shine also eliminated GlobalPort in the quarterfinals, 108-106.

[Infographic: #2 Rain or Shine vs #7 GlobalPort]

Belga was given Player of the Game honors afterwards, finishing with 17 points on a 5-of-8 shooting clip, 3-of-4 from downtown. He also had six rebounds, a whopping four steals, plus a block in just 17 minutes off the bench.

Both sides were heaving up long bombs early in the game, with GlobalPort leading by as much as six points, 21-15. Jervy Cruz returned serve for Rain or Shine, as he scored three straight at the 3:52 mark and triggered a 14-2 run, helping his squad to secure a 35-29 lead after the first quarter.

Rain or Shine pushed the lead to as high as 15 points to start the second quarter, 48-33, fueled by defensive stops and five points from Beau Belga on the other end. But the Batang Pier began to wear down the Elasto Painters' defense as Sol Mercado and Terrence Romeo fetched and-ones, while narrowing the lead to eight, 50-42, with four minutes to play.

Romeo kept GlobalPort alive until halftime with huge three-pointers, offsetting tough shots by Cruz and Paul Lee, 60-52.

GlobalPort wrangled the lead down to five, 64-59, after aggressive low post play from Kelly Nabong and Jewel Ponferrada during the first two minutes of the second half. Gabe Norwood though countered immediately with a three-pointer, as he and Larry Rodriguez carried Rain or Shine by scoring 13 of their next 15 points, 79-63.

The Batang Pier enjoyed a brief surge with the quarter winding down, as Eric Menk scored in the post. The Elasto Painters continued to attack the paint, but GlobalPort emerged victorious from the shootout, as Mark Yee knocked down a triple with 0.2 seconds left to trim the lead to single digits, 86-77.


Rudy Lingganay opened final period with another triple, carrying the momentum over from the third as his team rattled off a 9-3 rally, 89-86, on a Mercado drive. Norwood promptly buried a midrange jumper, but GlobalPort came prepared. The Batang Pier never trailed by more than eight points, and then got stops to score six straight, 98-96, on a breakaway hoop by Lingganay in transition with 3:22 to play.

Neither team would score until 40 seconds remained, when after missing two charities on the previous possession, Belga nailed a triple from the right wing. The basket came right after Rain or Shine forced Romeo to heave a 30-footer at the end of the shot clock and made it a two-possession game. Romeo tried to come back but missed a fadeaway from the left side, and Belga secured the board. He was promptly fouled, then split from the line, leaving 29 seconds on the clock.

GlobalPort called a timeout but weren't able to set up an attempt as Belga swiped the inbounds pass from Sol Mercado, then polished off two more from the charity stripe to slam the door shut.

Forward Jervy Cruz led Rain or Shine in scoring with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He also hauled in eight rebounds. Another big man, Larry Rodriguez, contributed 16 points and eight boards, Gabe Norwood posted a line of 14 markers, seven caroms, four dimes, a steal and a block, while Ryan Araña and Paul Lee chipped in 10 points apiece.

Rookie Terrence Romeo led all scorers with 23 points. Kelly Nabong pinched in with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Sol Mercado finished with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists, but the duo each turned the ball over five times.

Big man Jay Washington was in civilian wear on the sideline, with his right leg in a boot.

The young GlobalPort team actually turned the ball over a total of 17 times, versus just 11 miscues for Rain or Shine. As a result, the Elasto Painters got a 19-9 edge in points off turnovers.

Rain or Shine also out-assisted their foes, 23-17. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

Rain or Shine 106 - Cruz 18, Belga 17, Rodriguez 16, Norwood 14, Arana 10, Lee 10, Quinahan 5, Tang 5, Almazan 4, Tiu 3, Nuyles 2, Teng 2, Ibanes 0

GlobalPort 96 - Romeo 23, Nabong 18, Mercado 16, Yee 7, Menk 7, Hayes 6, salvador 6, Lingganay 5, Chua 4, Ponferada 4, Belencion 0, Salva 0, Garcia 0

Quarter scoring: 35-29, 60-52, 86-77, 106-96