Aaron Fuller saved his best for when it mattered most. The Rain or Shine big man exploded for eight of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter alone, capping the surge with a go-ahead layup that lifted the Elasto Painters to an 85-83 win over Meralco on Sunday, August 2, extending their winning streak to four straight in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

It wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t easy. But for Rain or Shine, it was enough.

Fuller Delivers When It Counts as Bolts’ Gamble Backfires

Fuller’s go-ahead basket, which came with 38 ticks remaining, set the stage for a chaotic finish. Meralco had one last chance to force overtime when Adrian Nocum was called for a penalty foul on Bong Quinto with just 2.5 seconds left on the clock. But the Bolts’ hopes unraveled at the free-throw line — Quinto missed his first attempt, then intentionally missed the second, banking on his team corralling the offensive rebound.

The gamble failed. Fuller out-muscled Meralco for the loose ball, grabbing his 13th rebound of the night to seal the victory and push the Elasto Painters’ record to 4-2 in Group B.

“Ito siguro ang isa sa pinakamasamang laro namin, but we found ways in the endgame to carve out a win,” said coach Yeng Guiao, whose squad struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just five triples, and missed 14 free throws.

Defense Carries Rain or Shine Through Ugly Win

If the offense faltered, the defense picked up the slack. Rain or Shine tightened the screws in the fourth quarter, holding Meralco to a dismal 3-of-19 shooting from the field and forcing eight of the Bolts’ 15 total turnovers.

“So it’s not really a nice game to watch: low scoring, maraming mga messy plays,” Guiao admitted. “But, ang importante, na-limit namin sila sa (total) 36 percent field goal shooting. That’s way below, I think, their usual average. So it became a defensive game and just finding ways to win.”

The result marked Meralco’s third consecutive loss, dropping the Bolts to 2-4 in the same bracket. The team was without injured players CJ Cansino and Raymond Almazan, along with Jason Brickman, who had been instrumental in Meralco’s 122-114 win over Rain or Shine when the two teams first met on July 18.

Chris Newsome led Meralco with 16 points, while Antonio Hester added 15 points and 13 rebounds. Javee Mocon posted a double-double of his own with 14 points and 10 boards, and Cliff Hodge chipped in 14 points as well. Still, none of it was enough to stop Rain or Shine from escaping with the win, echoing the Elasto Painters’ 98-97 nail-biter over Magnolia just days earlier on Friday.

“‘Yung last game namin parang ganito rin,” Guiao noted. “Importante manalo lang, importante makahanap ka lang ng paraan.”

Adrian Nocum and Luis Villegas also factored heavily into the win for Rain or Shine. Nocum, held to just six points, dished out five of his game-high eight assists in the fourth quarter, while Villegas contributed three rebounds, two steals and a block, scoring three of his five points in that same decisive frame.