Rain or Shine import Steve Taylor Jr.’s return sparked Elasto Painters to silence Meralco Bolts with a strong second half run, 113-96, in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup on Saturday at the Philsports Arena.
Taylor returned after being sidelined due to health and safety protocols in their previous loss to TNT.
In his return, he exploded with 22 points and joined forces with Mike Nieto and Gian Mamuyac, who both tallied 21 markers to snap Rain or Shine’s two-game skid.
The momentum shift happened in the second period when Rain or Shine outscored Meralco, 31-16.
Meralco lost for the fifth time in six games and found itself in danger of being eliminated for the first time in five conferences.
Import Johnny O’ Bryant scored 30 points and grabbed seven boards for the Bolts, a big turnaround from his dismal seven-point output from their previous loss against Phoenix, but still not enough as Meralco fell short once more.
The scores:
Rain or Shine (113) — Taylor 22, Nieto 21, Mamuyac 21, Caracut 10, Nambatac 10, Asistio 9, Torres 8, Belga 6, Santillan 4, Ponferada 2, Norwood 0, Borboran 0.
Meralco (96) — O’Bryant 30, Almazan 20, Quinto 19, Caram 14, Maliksi 7, Black 4, Banchero 2, Hodge 0, Pasaol 0, Pascual 0.
Quarters: 26-34; 57-50; 89-77; 113-96.
