Elasto Painters Crush Bossing in Historic Blowout to Stay Unbeaten

Andrei Caracut set the pace early, and Rain or Shine rode his explosive start to a dominant 151-95 victory over Blackwater, maintaining their undefeated record in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner's Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Tuesday.

The 30-year-old guard wasted no time taking control, scoring 18 of his 22 points in the first quarter as the Elasto Painters jumped to a commanding 42-15 lead.

Rain or Shine's fast-paced play had Blackwater on its heels, with 19 of their first-quarter points coming from fast breaks—something the slower Bossing couldn't keep up with.

Head coach Yeng Guiao shared his strategy to counter Blackwater’s import, Robert Upshaw. “We didn’t have an answer for their import, so we decided to turn his strength into a weakness. That seemed like our best chance to win,” Guiao said.

The Elasto Painters’ energy never dropped. They reached the 100-point mark before the third quarter ended and hit 150 points with a minute to go, thanks to Adrian Nocum's contributions.

Their 56-point margin of victory set a new PBA record, surpassing the previous largest win of 46 years, when U/Tex triumphed 154-99 over Great Taste in the 1980 Open Conference semifinals.

“That’s our style—we love to push the pace, get out in transition, and play in the open court,” said Guiao, whose team also drained 18 three-pointers. “Our early shots falling helped build the momentum.”

While Caracut stole the spotlight, several others contributed.

Jaylen Johnson, back from a one-game suspension, scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

Gian Mamuyac added 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while Santi Santillan posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.

Nocum and Anton Asistio each scored 12 points, and young talents Deo Cuajao and Jun Roque chipped in with 15 and 13 points, respectively.

With the win, Rain or Shine improved to 4-0 and will aim to extend their perfect record against San Miguel on April 8, Wednesday, at the same venue.

For Blackwater, the loss was a tough follow-up to their upset win over Magnolia the previous week.

Upshaw led with 24 points and nine rebounds, while RK Ilagan and Sedrick Barefield were the only other Bossing players in double figures, scoring 14 and 12 points, respectively.

The defeat left Blackwater with a 1-3 record.