RAIN OR SHINE WINS 2ND STRAIGHT

Rookie combo at the forefront anew

Solomon Mercado and Gabe Norwood combined for 28 points and six steals as the rookie tandem powered Rain or Shine to its second win in three games in Group A with a 69-64 win over Barangay Ginebra on Saturday in the PBA Pre-Season Tournament at the San Sebastian College-Recoletos gym in Cavite City.

The Elasto Painters survived a fourth quarter meltdown by racking up 12 straight points that took away the momentum from the charging Kings, who wound up their stint in this two-week tournament with a 0-3 mark.

Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia said he is pleased with the result of their last two games but readily confessed "we still need more jelling and consistency."

The Elasto Painters open their campaign in the league's 34th season on October 5 against Air21, runner-up in last season's Fiesta Conference, and the mild mannered Garcia is optimistic his troops will be in "good shape as long as they know their roles."

After falling behind by as many as 15 points in the second quarter, the Kings picked up their rhythm in the third period enabling them to get back into the game.

The scored see-sawed in the fourth quarter and the Kings appeared to have seized momentum when Berne Franco scored off a Willie Wilson pass for a 59-57 lead with 5:27 to go.

But the Kings just couldn't hang on.

Both teams traded turnovers before Mercado (15 points, 3 steals) hit a penalty free throw and Rob Wainwright (11 points, 7 rebounds), who took over from Norwood (13 points, 3 steals), buried a huge three that brought the Elasto Painters back on top and highlight the team's decisive 12-0 run.

Chris Pacana had 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting but he was the only player in double figures among the Kings, who shot just 36 percent from the field. (DBC)

The scores:

Rain or Shine 69 – Mercado 15, Norwood 13, Wainwright 11, Andaya 8, Salansang 7, Isip 4, Laure 3, Reyes 3, Arana 3, Tang 2, Dulay 0, Ibanes 0, Lopez 0, Ejercito 0.

Ginebra 64 – Pacana 16, Gavino 8, Espiritu 8, Franco 8, Crisano 6, Wilson 5, Holper 4, Escalona 4, Aquino 3, Artadi 2, Cabatu 0.

Quarterscores: 25-11; 34-24; 50-47; 69-64.