Sans import, Painters adopt ‘nothing to lose mentality’ in win over Bolts

MANILA, Philippines — Holding a disadvantage on paper, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters turned that into an advantage as they held on against the Meralco Bolts despite fielding no import.

Rain or Shine defeated Meralco, 109-102, in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup clash Friday evening at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Elasto Painters, who played without suspended import Jaylen Johnson, led by as much as 17 points in the game as they held on late.

After the game, head coach Yeng Guiao said he believes they caught Meralco “on a bad day.”

“That’s not their real game. They were kind of complacent, maybe a little bit overconfident,” he told reporters.

“Psychologically, we had the upper hand playing with nothing to lose, and expectations going against us winning the game,” he added.

Guiao also lauded his team’s toughness in the win.

“The guys were just playing as hard as they can. It's sheer toughness. We played with a lot of toughness,” he said.

“There were times in the game where parang bibigay na pero nakakabawi pa rin. It's a sign of maturity.”

Playing against Meralco import Marvin Jones, Rain or Shine relied on Felix Lemetti to topscore in the game.

Lemetti had 23 points, three assists and two rebounds, while Adrian Nocum chippde in 17 markers and six boards.

Caelan Tiongson and Jhonard Clarito finished with 16 and 15 points, respectively, while rookie Christian + Manaytay had a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from the field to conclude with 12 markers.

Guiao also tipped his hat to Johnson, who still helped out despite not being able to play.

“But, baka hindi na namin siya kailangan, pauwiin na namin,” Guiao joked.

The Elasto Painters rose to 3-0 in the standings, while the Bolts dropped to 2-1.