Rain or Shine beats Meralco 128-116 in PBA Philippine Cup

Rain or Shine defeated Meralco, 128-116, in the PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Despite injuries to Keith Datu and Caelan Tiongson and the absence of Beau Belga, Rain or Shine's trio of Leonard Santillan, Gian Mamuyac, and Adrian Nocum led the team with standout performances: Santillan scored 27 points, while Mamuyac and Nocum each contributed 24.

Rain or Shine established a strong lead by outscoring Meralco in the third period with their quickness and aggressiveness on offense, forcing Meralco to commit 35 fouls and leading to Rain or Shine's high free throw percentage of 83% (39-of-47).

With Newsome struggling, it was Bong Quinto who paced the Bolts (2-3) with 23 points, while CJ Cansino and Raymar Jose had 21 markers apiece in the losing cause.

Rain or Shine's coach emphasized that their quickness and aggressiveness on offense were key to winning despite having practically no big men.