Painters rout Road Warriors to enter PBA quarterfinals

MANILA, Philippines -- The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are going to the quarterfinals of the PBA Philippine Cup after blasting the NLEX Road Warriors to their fourth straight loss, 120-104, Friday at the Philsports Arena.

Rain or Shine became the fourth team in the league to secure a playoff berth behind San Miguel, Barangay Ginebra and Magnolia.

Six Elasto Painters ended in double figures led by Beau Belga with 18 points, four assists and two rebounds. Santi Santillan chipped in 17 markers and nine boards, while Jhonard Clarito had 15 and six.

It was an easy win for Rain or Shine, as they led by 11, 30-19, as early as the first quarter.

This set the tone for the rest of the way as they went to the half with a 19-point advantage, 62-43.

The cushion rose to as much as 26 points, 95-69, with an and-one play by Mark Borboran with about two minutes remaining in the third frame.

The 16-point deficit at the end of the game was the closest the Road Warriors got to.

Shaun Ildefonso added 14 points and three rebounds, while Andrei Caracut and Gian Mamuyac had 12 apiece for the Elasto Painters.

Robert Bolick once again exploded for NLEX, finishing with 38 points on an efficient 15-of-22 clip. Anthony Semerad backstopped with 18 markers, but no other Road Warrior finished in double digit scoring.

The Elasto Painters once again ended their elimination round on a high note,with a 6-5 win-loss slate.

The Road Warriors, on the other hand, dropped to 5-5. In their last elimination round game, they will face against Ginebra, who also clinched the last twice-to-beat advantage due to NLEX's loss, on Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.