Rain or Shine overcame a fourth quarter surge by Terrafirma to pull off a hard-earned 95-84 win in the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup at the PhilSports Arena. Andrei Caracut and Jhonard Clarito led a late 7-0 run that gave the Elasto Painters a crucial cushion with under two minutes left.

With the win, Rain or Shine improved to 6-3, tightening its grip on a possible top-four finish and the coveted twice-to-beat incentive. Head coach Yeng Guiao used all 13 players in his rotation, preserving energy for their vital showdown with San Miguel Beer on Saturday.

Caracut catches fire in the clutch

Caracut drilled a key triple to finish off his late scoring spree while Clarito finished with a team-high 12 points. Rain or Shine led by as much as 18, but Terrafirma stormed back to cut it to just 83-80 with 3:33 left before fading in the final moments.

Coach Guiao acknowledged the mental challenge of playing a team with nothing to lose, emphasizing that Terrafirma’s no-pressure mindset made them dangerous. His squad held its nerve to prevent what could’ve been a shocking collapse, a scenario he had already warned his players about.

Terrafirma drops ninth straight

The Dyip showed surprising grit after trailing 73-55 heading to the fourth. Stanley Pringle gave fans something to cheer for as he became the 100th player in PBA history to reach 5,000 career points, finishing with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists.

Louie Sangalang poured in 22 points to lead all scorers, but Terrafirma still dropped its ninth straight game and now sits at 1-9. With a franchise sale looming, their final game Sunday against Blackwater could mark the end of an era.