Painters lament free throw woes vs Beermen

MANILA, Philippines -- The young Rain or Shine Elasto Painters rued the missed free throws as they absorbed a three-point loss against the defending champions San Miguel Beermen.

San Miguel drew first blood against Rain or Shine in their best-of-seven PBA Philippine Cup semifinals on Friday, 101-98.

The young Elasto Painters showed grit against the mighty Beermen, as they went to within a possession.

But in the game, the team made 20 of their 31 free throws, which would have been a big swing in the close game.

After the game, Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao emphasized that their free throw percentage should be better if they would have a chance against San Miguel.

“We’re just not making enough free throws for us to beat them. So, we should be able to improve our percentage,” he told reporters.

“We were at 64%, 11 missed free throws. That’s just not good enough, especially going to the playoffs, semis, games that are going to be decided by a few points,” he added.

In the fourth quarter, the team missed a total of five free throws that would have helped them inch closer.

And, with about 32 seconds to go, Andrei Caracut also split his freebies from the line that would have cut the lead to just two.

Instead, they had to hoist up a 3-pointer with the time winding down, with Caracut missing the mark from way beyond.

“We should make a few more free throws. Maybe 64% is not enough, we should be shooting 80% at least,” he said.

“Free throws, it’s a pity because the opportunities are being wasted on our missed free throws.”

The Elasto Painters will try to tie the series up on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.