Except for the opening quarter, Rain or Shine was a dominating force in a stormy day.

Javee Mocon and Beau Belga led the Elasto Painters to an 85-72 victory over Meralco and stayed undefeated in three games, taking the early lead of Season 46 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup on Saturday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.    

Mocon posted seven of his 18 points in the last quarter in addition to his six rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block, while the hulking 6-foot-5 power forward Belga added nine of his 17 points in the second canto plus 10 rebounds to deal the Bolts to a 2-1 win-loss record.

"We weathered the storm literally and figuratively," Rain or Shine head coach Chris Gavina told Business Mirror, referring to the ongoing heavy rains around Metro Manila. "We kept fighting, we kept competing, the guys got stops, and we executed very well on the offensive side."

Rey Nambatac contributed 11 points and three steals, while Torres made 11 points also for the Elasto Painters.

Despite the 3-0 start, Gavina – who took over the head coaching post from Caloy Garcia during the off season – said they must stay hungry and humble all the time.

"It's still a long season, we must stay humble and hungry," he said.   

After trailing by 13-18 at the end of the first period, Belga, sophomore Adrian Wong and Torres returned to work in the second frame, helping Rain or Shine outscore the Bolts, 29-17, to seize the advantage at the half, 42-35.

The Elasto Painters had taken control of the game in the fourth canto after Mocon made a three-point play to register their biggest cushion, 82-61, with still four minutes to go.

After winning their first two games, the Bolts seemingly had a terrible night shooting the ball. They shot 27-of-71 overall in the field, including 8-of-22 from the three-point area, and made 10-of-20 in the foul line.

Chris Newsome tallied 13 points, five rebounds and six assists to lead Meralco.  

In the second game, Vic Manuel came up big, powering Phoenix Super LPG to a 101-93 triumph over Alaska – his former team – for the first win after three games. He delivered 26 points and 12 rebounds when it mattered most, stepping up in the absence of Matthew Wright (ankle sprain) and Chris Banchero (calf).  

"That's huge, the guys stepped up without Matt [Wright] and Chris [Banchero], it's a total team effort from the team," Phoenix coach Topex Robinson said.

Gab Banal piled up 17 points to lead the Aces, who dropped to 1-2 slate.   

PBA clears Kiefer to play in Japan

Kiefer Ravena – the second overall pick in the 2017 rookie draft — is now free to play in the Japanese B. League with Shiga Lakestars.

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial announced the decision on Saturday in a virtual news conference along with Northern Luzon Expressway (NLEX) team manager Ronald Dulatre and team lawyer Jan David Garcia.

The league's board of governors, said Marcial, approved Ravena's stint in Japan after the Road Warriors management agreed to terminate the three-year uniform players contract (UPC), which the former national player signed last September.  

But Marcial told Ravena to remember their gentleman's agreement of "playing only one season in the Land of the Rising Sun and returning to the PBA next year to suit up for NLEX."

The PBA also fined NLEX with a corresponding fine for allowing Ravena to sign up with the Shiga Lakestars despite having a live contract.

Ravena also apologized to the PBA and to NLEX. He will be flying to Japan after the ongoing Philippine Cup.   

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