Rain or Shine's Bruno Sundov goes up against Barako Bull's D.J. Mbenga in Friday's PBA action at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Manila. — SG photo Jay R. Gotera Saudi Gazette MANILA — Never again. With their overtime heart-breaker against the Alaska Aces last week still fresh in their minds, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters vowed not to commit the same mistake twice as they bludgeoned the Barako Bull Energy Cola, 106-97, Friday night in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. “We didn't want to repeat the mistake we had committed against Alaska where we had a good lead, then relaxed,” Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao said after the game, referring to his team's 84-89 defeat in overtime against Alaska. The E-Painters posted their ninth win in 13 outings and can seize the No. 2 seeding plus the twice-to-beat advantage that goes with it with a victory against the Meralco Bolts in the last day of the elimination round next Wednesday. Rain or Shine's 7'3” giant Bruno Sundov outclassed Barako Bull's D.J. Mbenga, the seven-foot Congolese-Belgian center who was a former member of the Los Angeles Lakers who won the NBA championship in 2009. Sundov finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds in contrast to Mbenga, who only managed to collect nine points and six rebounds in just 23 minutes of action. Mbenga played just five minutes in the second half as Barako Bull coach Rajko Toroman opted to bench him as he was being outplayed by Sundov. With their ninth loss in 13 games, the Energy Cola's chances of qualifying for the playoffs now hang by a thread. They could only do so if they win their last match against the GlobalPort Batang Pier Sunday and if Petron beats Air21 in the nightcap the same day. Paul Lee and Ryan Araña added 19 and 18 points, respectively, for the E-Painters. In the opener of the Friday double-header, the Alaska Aces eked out a 93-92 win against the already eliminated GlobalPort Batang Pier to end their elimination round assignment with an exclamation mark. The Aces had already assured themselves of the top seeding going into the playoffs with their victory against the Barangay Ginebra Kings last Wednesday. Alaska won its fourth straight victory and finished the elimination round with an impressive 11-3 win-loss card. Seeking to save face in their penultimate game in the conference, the Batang Pier put up a gallant stand and were up, 72-57, in the third quarter after clawing their way back from a 77-89 deficit. But the Batang Pier failed to sustain their firepower in the final quarter as the Aces came charging back to hand GlobalPort its 10th straight defeat and 11th overall against just two wins. Alaska head coach Luigi Trillo opted to rest his two starters, Cyrus Baguio and Sonny Thoss, who both have back injuries. Rookie Calvin Abueva, together with Robert Dozier, spearheaded the Alaska offense as he recorded his 15th double-double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Dozier added 18 points and eight rebounds. R.J. Jazul and Jvee Casio chipped in with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
