ROS nears last 8

Beau leads E-Painters over Batang Pier

MANILA, Philippines — Out of the gate, Rain or Shine dropped 12 unanswered points on NorthPort.

That early bombardment set the tone for the Elasto Painters, who stayed in full control en route to a 115-105 romp in the PBA Philippine Cup yesterday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The wire-to-wire victory over the Batang Pier extended the E-Painters’ streak to a fifth game running, which sent them up to sixth in the team standings at 5-4.

Yeng Guiao’s resurgent troops moved a step closer to a quarterfinal berth while keeping NorthPort, which skidded to its third straight setback, stuck at four wins against as ßmany losses.

Veteran Beau Belga rifled in a career high 28 points that went with 13 rebounds, his strong performance rubbing off on the young guns like Jhonard Clarito and Adrian Nocum, who turned in 17 and 16, respectively.

“Natutuwa kami kasi consistent si Beau,” coach Yeng Guiao said of Belga, who made a new personal best score two weeks after netting 25 as part of a milestone triple-double feat with 12 boards and 10 dimes in a 110-90 rout of Converge.

“Kailangan niyang mag-double time. Kulang kami sa malaki, hindi pa nakakalaro sila Keith Datu at Luis (Villegas). Pero pinupunan ni Beau.”

Belga sparked ROS’ sizzling 12-0 start with a booming triple and a transition basket. He made 10 in the first.