PBA: Meralco Suffers From 3 Losses In A Row As Rain or Shine Defeated Them

Last Sunday night, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters won a crucial victory over the Meralco Bolts. Their game happened during the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. Fortunately, the team maintained control the rest of the way, leading them to a convincing 128-116 win. This improved their record to 2-1 and handed Meralco its third straight loss, dropping the Bolts to 2-3.

Rain or Shine overwhelmed Meralco in the first quarter with their relentless pace and sharp shooting. After a close first half where they led 66-59, the Elasto Painters erupted with a massive third quarter. ROS poured in 36 points to stretch their advantage to 102-82. 

Santi Santillan led the way for Rain or Shine, finishing with 27 points. Gian Mamuyac and Adrian Nocum backed him up with 24 points each. Meanwhile, the team shot an impressive 50% from the field. Six Elasto Painters scored in double figures, highlighting the team’s balanced offense.

Coach Yeng Guiao praised his squad’s speed and execution, stating, “We just tried to play to our strong suit, which is playing with a lot of pace. We wanted to get out and just attack, attack, and keep attacking the defense of Meralco.”

He added that their strategy revolved around maximizing quickness because of their lack of size due to injuries. “Alam namin maliliit kami so ang talagang advantage lang namin is our quickness and our speed,” Guiao said.

He added, “We had practically zero bigs, so the only way we can win the game is to keep playing fast, which is what we always do anyway. So nag-rely lang kami doon sa speed namin.“

Conversely, Meralco struggled to match Rain or Shine’s energy. Bong Quinto led the Bolts with 23 points, while Raymar Jose and CJ Cansino contributed 21. However, one of Meralco’s key players, Chris Newsome, only managed to get three points on 1-of-6 shooting in 27 minutes. The Bolts found themselves outmatched with their offense sputtering and their defense unable to contain Rain or Shine’s attack.

Rain or Shine was also without forward Caelan Tiongson. Unfortunately, the Fil-Am basketball player missed the game due to his back spasms. Still, Tiongson, who has also been battling the intense heat wave, watched from the sidelines.

Coach Guiao expressed concern about the setback, especially with big men Beau Belga and Keith Datu still unavailable. Despite the challenges, Tiongson remains hopeful about returning soon, saying, “Hopefully so. That’s the goal.“

Photo: PBA Images