Caracut's hot hands not enough as Rain or Shine falls to Anyang

Andrei Caracut caught fire late but it was not enough as Rain or Shine was dealt another loss after falling to reigning Korean Basketball League (KBL) champion Anyang KGC, 87-77, in the 2023 William Jones Cup on Thursday in Taiwan.

The former DLSU star guard tallied five triples to finish with 19 points alongside two rebounds and four assists in the loss that sent the Elasto Painters to a 1-5 slate. Anyang, who played without Gilas Pilipinas' Rhenz Abando, improved to 4-1.

Rain or Shine found itself deep in a 20-point hole early in the third period, 54-34, before the Elasto Painters trimmed that down to 12, 51-63, courtesy of a triple from Caracut.

Caracut then unleashed a three-pointer and a jumper to make it a 73-63 deficit midway in the fourth, but the Korean champions were too much for the Philippine bets as former PBA import Du'Vaughn Maxwell powered a 10-5 run to make it a 83-68 cushion for Anyang.

Caracut still tried to stage a comeback by firing two triples but the time expired as Anyang cruised to the victory.

Ange Kouame finished with a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds while Santi Santillan chipped in 10 markers.

Maxwell, who played for the Phoenix Super LPG in the 2022 PBA Governors' Cup, collected 15 points and nine rebounds.

Prior to the loss to Anyang, Rain or Shine fell to home teams Chinese Taipei Blue and Chinese Taipei White, before losing also to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Their first win was on Wednesday against Iran.

Rain or Shine will take a one-day break before plunging back to action on Saturday and Sunday against Japan and USA, respectively.

—Bea Micaller/JKC, GMA Integrated News