Rain or Shine boots out Converge for semis spot

Rain or Shine celebrates during a quarterfinals Game 3 victory over Converge in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.–PBA IMAGES

ANTIPOLO CITY—Rain or Shine secured its place in the semifinals for the third straight conference after topping Converge, 112-103, Sunday in the deciding third game of their PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarters series at Ynares Center here.

Import Deon Thompson lorded the paint on his way to 34 points while Adrian Nocum and Andrei Caracut were among those who also delivered as the Elasto Painters bucked a frustrating Game 1 defeat to eliminate the FiberXers.

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Veteran Beau Belga provided quality minutes with two threes in the fourth quarter that helped Rain or Shine create separation from Converge and set up a seven-game Final Four encounter with TNT.

READ: PBA: Adrian Nocum owes stellar game to Rain or Shine teammates

It will be the third straight time Rain or Shine will face TNT in the playoffs, the last two in the semis which saw the Tropang Giga needing five games to prevail in the season-opening Governors’ Cup.

Game 1 of the semis will start later this month following the two-week break because of Gilas Pilipinas’ two road games in the final window of the Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers.

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Converge saw its promising Commissioner’s Cup campaign come to an end despite taking Game 1 and a first-ever semis appearance eluding the franchise once more.

READ: PBA: Rain or Shine beats Converge to stay alive in quarterfinals

Alec Stockton tried to rally the FiberXers back from a 12-point deficit in the fourth but his 26 points and six assists went for naught.

Nocum was Rain or Shine’s top local scorer with 25 points, also knocking down key baskets that kept Converge at bay, Caracut put up 14 points and six assists and Belga finished with six in a short six-minute appearance, which proved to be the momentum shift.

Thompson added 12 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and three blocks for the Elasto Painters, but his points came mostly in the post at the expense of FiberXers import Cheick Diallo, Justin Arana and Justine Baltazar.
It was sweet redemption for Thompson, who in Game 1 fouled out early in the third quarter.