Rain or Shine refused to let Gabe Norwood’s special night end in heartbreak, leaning on Jaylen Johnson’s clutch brilliance to fend off a furious Converge rally, 120-111, and stretch its unbeaten run to 6-0 Friday in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Elasto Painters, known for their relentless pace, flashed another weapon this time — outside shooting. They buried 15 three-pointers overall, with Johnson knocking down the biggest ones when the game suddenly tightened in the final minutes.
The victory became even more meaningful for Rain or Shine as it came on the same night the franchise retired Norwood’s No. 5 jersey in an emotional halftime ceremony, honoring one of the team’s most enduring figures.
The win also gave the Elasto Painters the best start in franchise history in any conference and pushed them closer to a quarterfinal berth. But while the result looked convincing on paper, Rain or Shine had to survive a major scare after Converge stormed back from 23 points down in the fourth quarter and cut the deficit to just 109-107 with under three minutes left.
“It’s always a mental collapse. It’s just relaxing when you feel that you have a good lead. Madalas mangyari pero nandu’n pa rin ‘yung s’werte,” coach Yeng Guiao said.
“One of these nights hindi namin ma-su-survive ‘yung ganu’ng mga rally, but hanggang may momentum, hanggang sinusuwerte, we’ll take the wins. A win is a win.”
With momentum slipping, Caelan Tiongson calmly drained two free throws to give Rain or Shine breathing room. Johnson then took over, drilling a triple before powering in for a drive that restored order at 114-107. After Alec Stockton answered with two free throws, Johnson buried another booming three-pointer that pushed the lead to 119-111 and effectively shut the door on Converge.
Johnson finished with a dominant double-double of 35 points and 21 rebounds despite battling foul trouble, once again proving to be Rain or Shine’s steadying force when the pressure peaked.
“All credit to the team, all credit to the coaching staff, everybody. They set me up to be great out there. We do what worked and thanks to everybody in the team,” Johnson said.
Gian Mamuyac also delivered a huge performance with 21 points, including 12 in the third quarter, when the Elasto Painters turned a slim 61-54 halftime edge into a commanding 95-75 lead entering the fourth.
Converge, however, refused to fold. The FiberXers came charging back behind their transition game and aggressive attack, but their missed free throws and inability to match Rain or Shine’s perimeter shooting proved costly. Converge actually outscored Rain or Shine in fastbreak points, 40-28, but went 11 points behind from long range and missed 12 of 29 free throws.
The loss was the fifth straight for the FiberXers, who dropped to 1-5 despite balanced scoring from Stockton with 17 points, while Mikey Williams, Kylor Kelley, and Justin Arana added 16 each.
Rain or Shine now stands alone among the conference’s unbeaten teams, though Guiao knows his squad cannot keep flirting with danger if it hopes to stay on top much longer.
The Scores:
Rain or Shine 120 – Johnson 35, Mamuyac 21, Tiongson 14, Caracut 12, Lemetti 10, Nocum 8, Malonzo 7, Clarito 5, David 3, Roque 2, Manaytay 2, Santillan 1, Villegas 0.
Converge 111 – Stockton 17, Kelley 16, Williams 16, Arana 16, Gomez de Liano 14, Policarpio 11, Baltazar 9, Abueva 5, Garcia 5, Muyang 2, Concepcion 0.
Quarters: 31-29; 61-54; 95-75; 120-111.