Rain or Shine Elasto Painters’ Anton Asistio during the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals against TNT Tropang 5G. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—To avoid falling into a 0-3 hole in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals against TNT, Rain or Shine needed someone to step up offensively.
Coach Yeng Guiao’s starters began the game firing on all cylinders, but Rain or Shine needed an extra boost in the second half of Game 3.
READ: PBA semifinals: Rain or Shine avoids 0-3 hole, dominates TNT
Enter Anton Asistio, who shot the lights out in the Elasto Painters’ 107-86 rout of the Tropang 5G at Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.
“I was just being ready to step up because we’re incomplete. We don’t have Felix, so I knew I’d get my chance,” said Asistio after Rain or Shine notched its first win in the best-of-seven series, now at 2-1.
“Coach Yeng told us that the eliminations are different from the semis. The farther you go, the more you have to elevate your game.”
READ: PBA: Rain or Shine’s Mamuyac vows bounce-back after ‘costly foul’
Asistio was more than just a spark plug off the bench, finishing with 24 points on a red-hot showing along with six assists to lead Rain or Shine’s bounce-back victory. He missed just two of his nine shots and sank two from the four-point area.
Coach Guiao, however, wasn’t surprised by his young shooter’s performance.
“They know what they can do, they know they deserve to be here,” said the veteran tactician.
“After playing in the semifinals four times, they know what it takes. After facing TNT three times in the semis, he knows what to do,” he added.
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Rain or Shine looks to build on Asistio’s breakout performance on Wednesday as it tries to level the series at 2-2 at Mall of Asia Arena.
